Posted on

Charles City reopening for business as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed

  • Owner Dave Holschlag (back left) and cook Devin Lynch prepare lunch specials for customers at Dave's Restaurant in Charles City Thursday. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Dave's Restaurant in Charles City has removed tables and booths and set up staggered seating at the lunch counter to comply with coronavirus restrictions. The popular breakfast and lunch buffet is also gone for now, with the restaurant offering daily specials instead. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Employees at the Charles Theatre sell popcorn to people in cars who stop in front of the Charles City movie theater on Friday nights while the theater is shut because of the coronavirus. Press file photo by James Grob

By Mary Pieper, Special to the Charles City Press

As Gov. Kim Reynolds continues to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, more and more businesses and other places in Charles City are reopening.

However, it’s not business as usual, as establishments are limiting the number of patrons and doing more cleaning and sanitizing than usual.

Pub on the Cedar, which closed on March 18, reopened for both on-site dining and carry-out on Wednesday.

Due to state social distancing guidelines, some tables had to be removed. The big dining room, which normally has seating for 45 to 50 people, now can only seat 25, said owner Nathan Skuster.

Fortunately, Pub on the Cedar has an outdoor dining patio, he added.

On reopening day, Skuster said he was pleased with the number of patrons who came in.
Still, “It’s going to be a different summer,” Skuster said.

A lot of large private parties normally scheduled for June, July and August, such as class reunions and wedding rehearsals, have been postponed until fall, he noted.

The Comet Bowl will reopen on Monday, June 1 for both bowling and dining.

Hours will be shortened, and the establishment will be limited to half its normal occupancy.

Mark Barry, owner of the Comet Bowl, said “common sense” sanitization practices will be in place.

He said the bowling shoes patrons rent were sanitized after each use prior to the pandemic.
However, patrons now will be responsible for sanitizing bowling balls, whether they bring their own or use one available at the establishment. Sanitizer will be provided for this purpose.

Bowlers frequently will decide they don’t like the ball they initially choose and switch it for another one, according to Barry. He said this would make it difficult for the staff to keep up with sanitizing balls.

Barry said as long as the Comet Bowl is perceived as trying to do the right thing, “people should be patient and understanding.”

The bowling alley was closed during what is normally its busiest time of the year, according to Barry. He said the Comet Bowl doesn’t normally have leagues during the summer, but he’s thinking about having some organized bowling once the place reopens to make up for lost revenue.

“We might have to be creative,” he said.

The staff also is considering whether to have beach volleyball as usual this summer. The Comet Bowl has two outside courts where league play is held from early June through late July or early August.

Barry said 14 teams normally compete during beach volleyball season.

Some businesses have been reopened for awhile as state restrictions have been gradually relaxed.
The Hair Forum reopened on May 15.

Owner Kelli Nauman said the state had certain requirements for salons once they reopened, as well as optional guidelines.

She said she and her staff got together to decide what they were most comfortable with before reopening.

Most services have resumed, including pedicures and manicures. The Hair Forum began offering massages again on Thursday.

However, the salon hasn’t resumed facial hair trimming or facial or body waxing yet, according to Nauman. She said the staff will wait another two weeks before evaluating when those services should be offered again.

“We want to keep our clients safe,” she said.

Currently the salon only allows one customer in the building at a time. Those who arrive early for an appointment must wait in their car until someone on staff lets them in.

Nauman said the state won’t allow salons to begin double booking appointments again until late June.

All stylists at the Hair Forum are required to wear face masks. The salon recommends clients wear masks, but it’s not a requirement.

Everything a patron may have touched, including chairs and countertops, are disinfected after each appointment, according to Nauman.

She said the salon has been following most of its current sanitation procedures all along, but now the staff makes sure the clients see what they are doing and explain the reasons for it.

“It gives them a sense of security,” Nauman said.

The clients have been very understanding about the restrictions, according to Nauman.
“They are just happy to be getting their hair done,” she said.

The Charles City YMCA reopened on May 4 with restrictions. Patrons weren’t allowed to use the pool until Tuesday of this week, and only for lap swimming.

As far as when open swim times will resume, “That’s anyone’s guess,” said Lance Lasher, YMCA executive director.

Social distancing is difficult to enforce in a pool, as well as the deck and the locker rooms, Lasher said.

He said swimming lessons are expected to start in June. Lifeguard training also will be held sometime this summer.

As for the rest of the YMCA, the exercise equipment was moved into three different areas to meet social distancing guidelines. Each person has a 144-square-foot space to themselves.

The staff sanitizes everything once an hour, but “we ask the people using the equipment to clean the machines before and after they use them,” Lasher said.

Middle school-age children and younger aren’t allowed in the building for now unless they are accompanied by an adult, so there aren’t as many kids as there used to be, Lasher said.

This has freed up more staff members to help with the extra sanitation.

“Our building supervisors are now building cleaners and disinfectors,” Lasher said.

Currently the YMCA is at 45 percent of its normal capacity, but “we are pretty happy with our numbers,” he said.

Dave’s Restaurant reopened May 1 for both dine-in and carry-out.

However, the popular buffet remains closed due to state restrictions.

Owner Dave Holschlag said the restaurant is offering daily lunch specials instead, which are listed on Facebook.

Some tables and chairs have been removed, and every other booth has been taped off, decreasing the dine-in capacity of 60 people down to 30, Holschlag said.

“Everything is different for us,” he said. “We are have never gone through something like this.”
People in Charles City have been good about social distancing, but they are now starting to get more comfortable with going places, according to Holschalg.

He said each week different customers tell him this is the first day they have been out and about since the pandemic hit.

Patrons can see that the staff is sanitizing and frequently washing the doors, according to Holschlag.

“We really take sanitizing seriously to keep all our customers safe,” he said.

Although several large churches in Charles City – including St. John Lutheran and the United Methodist Church – have not announced reopening dates yet, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church will resume on-site Masses this weekend.

However, the Archdiocese of Dubuque has dispensed the usual Sunday obligation to attend Mass, so parishioners who don’t feel ready to return yet can continue to watch the Mass broadcast on Facebook.

Cross Lutheran Church in Charles City announced it will begin services June 7.

The Floyd County Historical Museum and the Charles Theatre remain closed for now.

Museum Director Jennifer Thiele said the board of directors will discuss reopening during their next meeting on June 18.

She said one of the reasons the building hasn’t reopened to the public yet is “there are just too many issues involved in cleaning the museum galleries.”

Aerosol disinfectants can’t be used in the exhibit areas because the chemicals are too harmful, she said.

When the museum does reopen, the plan is to take reservations for groups of no more than eight people to tour the building at any one time, according to Thiele.

She said each person would be required to wear a face mask and sign a waiver.

In the meantime, the museum staff is taking calls from people doing research on genealogy, local history and tractors, as well as mailing out manuals ordered by tractor enthusiasts.

The staff also has been updating some of the exhibits, Thiele said.

When the museum does reopen, it will have a new temporary exhibit space on the main floor, she said.

Other plans include updating the gift shop and selling gift certificates, according to Thiele.

Karen Youngerman, manager of the Charles Theatre, said she met with a couple of board members last week about reopening.

“I don’t see us reopening until the middle of July, but that is subject to change,” she said. “We want to keep our volunteers safe and we want to keep our patrons safe.”

When the theater does reopen, tickets will be sold through the window just like years ago instead of being purchased just inside the front door, according to Youngerman.

She said plexiglass will keep patrons from getting too close to the ticket sellers. Plexiglass also will be set up in front of the concession window.

Sanitizing stations will be placed at several spots in the lobby.

“We are still trying to figure out our seating,” Youngerman said.

The theater can seat 316 people. To meet social distancing guidelines, seating must be limited to 80 people.

All the seats will be sanitized after every evening showing, according to Youngerman.

She said she has contacted the booker who arranges what movies will be shown at the Charles Theatre. He told her he is waiting for word from the film companies as to when new releases might be available for distribution.

Patrons have been asking about showing older movies, but the theater can’t do that unless it pays an individual licensing fee of up to $200 for each DVD, according to Youngerman.

“That’s a lot when you’re down on capacity,” she said.

The theater, which operates as a non-profit, has kept afloat financially during the pandemic through its curbside popcorn sales on Friday nights.

People from Osage, Greene and New Hampton have been driving to Charles City to get the popcorn and support the theater, according to Youngerman.

“It’s paying our bills,” she said.

Social Share

LATEST NEWS