CALGARY- It has taken eight months and millions of dollars, but some businesses along flood-ravaged 4th Street are finally ready to reopen their doors.
The kitchen at Earls is back up and running, after the entire restaurant had to be gutted in a $5 million renovation
“To have it destroyed by the flood and rebuilt to this standard, we’re just giddy,” says Mohamed Jessa, president of Earls. “We were in a bowl, and the restaurant was three feet in water. While we estimated the chance of restoring it, it ended up being a gut job.”
Across the street, Joyce on 4th is eyeing a March reopening, after also being forced to gut their pub. This time, they’re not taking any chances.
“We didn’t put wood floors down this time. It’s vinyl floor, it looks the same as a wood floor, but it will last through a smaller flood,” explains Steve McDowall from Joyce on 4th. “We hope it doesn’t happen again.”
A specialized electrical system that had to be built in the U.S. delayed the million dollar project for months. They’re now counting on the luck of the Irish, to finish construction in time for what’s usually their busiest day of the year.
“Come hell or high water—and we’ve already had the high water—we’ll get her done by St. Patrick’s Day.”
Bin 905 Wines, which is just down the street, plans to start restocking its shelves soon. The owner says he hopes the city’s flood mitigation plan will save Mission from future flooding, but realizes there’s not much that can be done.
“All of downtown Calgary is essentially in a flood plain,” says Geoff Last. “If you think of it, every major city is prone to different disasters, so steps have to be taken to minimize those things, should they occur.”
In the short term, the city is looking to speed up the construction of temporary berms should water rise again. Permanent fixes are still in the works.
Earls is set to reopen to the public on Wednesday.
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