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NEWS
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SOCIETY
GeisendorferWiese engaged. See page A6
Pike Press
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VOL. 178, NO. 23
Outdoor seating spells some relief for restaurants By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Since the governor’s COVID-19 executive order went in to effect in March, restaurants in Illinois have been trying to scrape by offering curbside pick-up with a skeleton crew of employees. With the implementation of phase three of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan, restaurants are allowed to offer on-premises dining within outdoor dining areas. According to Pike County restaurateurs, this is a step in the right direction. “Right now the weather is nice and people like it,” Oscar Plascencia, owner of Pittsfield’s Casa Tequila, said. “This weekend was better” According to Plascencia, the reopening of on-premises dining was vital to his restaurant’s viability due to the profit margins associated with alcohol sales. “With the food there is no money,” Plascencia said. “Only the alcohol makes money.” Plascencia added that while the restaurant was trying to stick to their regular hours, when business slows down in the evening, they close early to save on labor costs. Nucci’s owner Robert Brewer agrees with Plascencia that allowing outdoor
seating is a step in the right direction toward the viability of Pike County restaurants. “It went well — extremely well,” Brewer said. “Our patio was packed both nights this weekend.” Brewer was also optimistic about the future and the prospect of the state reopening further. “It looks like the weather is supposed to be good for the next two weeks,” Brewer said. “Our goal is to be back open for breakfast. Once church is back, we’ll be open Sunday.” The Nucci’s owner also praised local officials for their guidance through the pandemic and the reopening. “The mayor, the police, and health department have gone above and beyond,” Brewer said. Pike County Health Department environmental health director Payton Dean agrees that the first weekend of outdoor dining in Pike County went smoothly. “Everything went really well,” Dean said. “We spent Thursday going around to all the restaurants that were planning to be open to make sure they understood all the regulations. The restaurants have all been great to work with — welcoming us in and asking for guidance.” According to Dean, 30 food service establishments — about half of Pike
David Camphouse/Pike Press
Clockwise from front left: Brennan Tomhave, McKenzie Tomhave, Brody Tomhave, and Terri Wombles await their meals outside Casa Tequila in Pittsfield Friday, May 29. Outdoor dining was recently allowed at restaurants as part of phase three of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan.
County’s eligible businesses — opened for outdoor dining over the weekend. June 26 is scheduled as the next date
to further reopen restaurants in Illinois. On the 26th, restaurants may be able to offer indoor dining at 25-50% capacity.
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JUNE 5
88 68 High
Low
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
87 68 High
Low
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
89 69 High
Low
ONLINE pikepress.com
INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . A7 Community . . . . . A6 County News . . .A2, A4
SECRETARY
OF
STATE
David Camphouse/Pike Press
OPENS TO A CROWD
Upon the long-awaited Pittsfield Secretary of States office’s reopening Tuesday, June 2, dozens of residents lined up along Jefferson Street waiting for service. The office is open for limited services: new driver’s licenses, those with expired driver’s licenses or ID cards and vehicle transactions.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6-8 Court . . . . . . . . . . A7
Barry city council sets year’s budget
Marketplace . . . . . A5 Obituaries . . . . . . A4 Opinion . . . . . . . . A3 Obituaries in this issue: Howard, Scranton, Toelke.
Pike Press © 2020 All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CONGRATS PHS CLASS
David Camphouse/Pike Press
OF
2020!
Riding down Washington Street, Drew Welbourne waves to onlookers during a parade of graduates of Pittsfield High School’s class of 2020. Graduates made their way from the Assembly of God to the courthouse square Friday, May 29.
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Barry’s city council approved next year’s budget at their Monday, June 1 meeting. According to city manager Jeff Hogge, state guidance suggests budgeting for a 20% downturn in light of COVID-19 economic shutdowns, but rural areas may not be as affected as other areas of the state. “They’ve told us to anticipate 80% of what it has been in previous years, but we’re not anticipating that big a decrease,” Hogge said. The council also passed a longdiscussed ordinance to regulate parking on city-owned right-ofways. The ordinance will outlaw long-term parking of campers, trailers, and derelict vehicles on rightof-ways. Council members approved the posting of new “Looking for
Lincoln” signage at the Barry Baptist Church. The church was frequented by “Free” Frank McWorter. A discussion regarding the opening of the Barry pool was also held at the meeting. A decision on whether or not to open the pool was delayed until at least June 15, at which point a decision would be made regarding the pool season. In addition, a section of Mortimer Street in front of the Bainbridge Street Cafe has been closed to accommodate outdoor seating. “We went out and measured the spacing of the tables,” Hogge said. According to city manager Hogge, outdoor seating has increased business for Barry restaurants. “I talked to someone at the Bainbridge Cafe, and they said they were busy as can be,” Hogge said. Hogge also reported that city workers are catching up on landscape/maintenance work and had recently removed five trees.
Repairs to deck of Florence Bridge closes 100/106 The Illinois Department of Transportation announces that repairs to the bridge that carries Illinois 100/106 over the Illinois River at Florence. Work began Monday, June 1. `The bridge will be closed during this project, which is necessary to maintain the current legal load posting and to keep the bridge open to
traffic until a replacement bridge can be built. The bridge is expected to reopen in mid-August. “The work will be to the bridge deck and not the super-structure,” Paul Wappel, spokesman for the Illinois Department of transportation. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2024 and according to
Rappel, this work will extend the life of the bridge until that time. “We are planning a virtual meeting for this summer,” Wappel said. A detour will be posted that utilizes Illinois 106, Illinois 100, Interstate 72 and US 54. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips
through this area. To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment.