City officials happy with flood cleanup
As cleanup and damage assessment continues along Davenport’s riverfront, Public Works Director Dee Bruemmer said she is happy with what she is seeing, and what she’s not seeing.
What she is seeing is cleanup proceeding as it should. What she’s not seeing is a lot of damage caused by the floodwaters. In fact, damage is hard to find.
“So far, so good,” Bruemmer said. “It’s really looking good and that’s a positive thing.”
Aside from being a little soggy, LeClaire Park was mostly undamaged, and the grass remains green, unlike in past floods.
“Green is a good sign,” Bruemmer said, adding that the cleaning of the silt off the park’s grass went smoothly.
Some debris, mostly driftwood, has been picked up.
“It doesn’t look like we’re in for any surprises at this point,” Bruemmer said.
She added that 2nd Street just west of Marquette Street may be open today as Kraft’s Oscar Mayer plant removes the earthen dam built to keep
floodwaters at bay.
In other areas, Enchanted Island and South Concord Street remain under water. Credit Island Park also remains flooded, but the waters are visibly receding.
The skatepark in Davenport’s Centennial Park will remain closed through the weekend as flood recovery continues.
Earlier in the week, parks department employees said they hoped to open the popular riverfront attraction on Thursday, but floodwater remains in the largest bowl of the concrete park.
City crews have sanitized much of the park, but not the center bowl.
The park will be re-evaluated on Monday. When all the water is out and the structure has been sanitized, it will reopen.
(Reporter Tory Brecht contributed to this story.)
Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.