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The floodwaters of Lake Geneva:
Thunder, lightning, heavy rain, along with strong winds, came at Lake Geneva last Monday night, and again on Wednesday night, resulting in flooding, broken tree limbs, and scattered debris. This made for a busy Thursday morning, filled with clean up and damage control. Everything that could be done was done, but then the waiting game began. Would the floodwaters recede before the next round of heavy rain hit? Unfortunately, when Thursday night came, the storms again added another three and a half inches of rain to the six-inch mix. By Friday morning damage could be seen in many intersections, as the lake had risen to levels that many longtime residents of Lake Geneva had never seen.

On Friday morning a ‘Slow No Wake’ order was placed on Geneva Lake, and by Saturday the Water Safety Patrol was out making sure it was enforced. The White River was also at an extremely high level, especially in the Samuel P. Donan Wet Land Preserve between Center Street and South Lakeshore Drive. The river covered almost half of Sprecher’s parking lot, spilling over onto South Lakeshore Drive. The flooding closed South Lakeshore drive and spread into Burger King’s parking lot, covering the intersection of Highway 50 and Wells Street, as well.  The overflowing waters drew a lot of attention from people of all ages. Kids waded and swam, while groups of people and individuals gathered and took photo after photo. A most surprising visitor was a young man who went scuba diving on several occasions.

Floodwaters can be very dangerous and should be avoided whenever possible, but these floodwaters were treated as a community watering hole. The rain is not the only reason for the high waters, as clogged drainage issues were identified as a major reason for the water remaining so high. Many of the storm drains had become clogged with sediment, and then covered with strewn debris from the storms and strong winds. A valiant effort was made to remove the blockages, but the high water levels made it nearly impossible to clear every grate and drain quickly. Finally, by Monday morning, the water had receded enough for some normalcy to return. The intersection at Main and Wells Street is cleared and dry now, and as of Tuesday morning, South Lakeshore Drive off of Main is also open. Geneva’s Lake’s no-wake rule has also been lifted.

Flooding Downtown Lake Geneva

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Winter preparations begin.
The street department in Lake Geneva is taking steps to ensure that the heavy workload of the winter months will be met efficiently. Tom Earl, the public works director in Lake Geneva, along with Neil, the head of the street department, presented the need for all their equipment to be in working order at last week’s public works meeting. Since Ted and Neil have been in their positions they have noted many issues that they have inherited.

They have found a slew of bad records, as well as equipment that has never been inventoried or added to the repair/replacement schedule. With winter fast approaching, these concerns have to be addressed in order for the street department to do its job. One of the more pressing issues is the condition of the main plow truck for district four. It’s in need of multiple repairs, in particular, the frame needs to be replaced and it needs to have an automatic salter added, which is necessary to distribute salt effectively. If they cannot get these problems fixed then they need about ten thousand dollars just for the framework repair.

There are many other problems in the department, such as the four pick-up trucks that the street department received from the utility company when that company purchased new ones. All four trucks are barely hanging in there and should be replaced within the next couple of years. The Lake Geneva Street Department is a critically important part of maintaining the functionality and image that Lake Geneva needs to uphold.  They also need to start plowing the sidewalks of local businesses at no charge after every snowfall.

The Business of the Week

Water Lilly at 235 Broad Street is open. The store is beautifully done and has some of the well known and loved designers of women and children’s clothing. A great addition to downtown Lake Geneva.