Vermont Rushes To Rebuild For Leaf Peeping

(Wall Street Journal) - Businesses damaged by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene are under pressure to rebuild and reopen this week as Vermont's peak leaf-peeping season begins, an event that provides a quarter of the annual tourism revenue in the state, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The state has set up a fund offering flood-ravaged businesses $10 million in low interest loans, with no payment required in the first year. "These folks are on their knees," said Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, who visited flood-hit towns this week.

Simon Pearce hastened his cleanup and opened his restaurant for dinner Monday for the first time since the Ottauquechee River overflowed its banks and struck his eatery in the village of Quechee, sending 400 bottles of wine plus glassware, onions and potatoes afloat. The dining room now overlooks a crippled covered bridge that appears to be hanging on by a thread.

His glass-blowing studio -- one of Vermont's most popular tourist attractions -- has been moved temporarily to a facility 20 minutes away and has also reopened.

Most who walked into the restaurant and its adjoining retail store Monday remarked that the business's recovery, which came after long days of mud-shoveling, had been remarkably swift. "We didn't have much choice if we were going to stay in business. This is our busiest time of the year," Pearce said.

Still, he added, "it's still hard to know if people will come."

Similar anxiety-filled scenes are playing out across the Green Mountain state, as merchants and road crews rushed to set the stage for the foliage tourism season, which runs through October.

The governor's office has established a "foliage task force" to promote visits. When Route 4, a major state corridor, opened last Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Sugar & Spice restaurant in Mendon hung a banner alongside its sign touting maple syrup products: "Thank you work crews and guard members!" Tourists were already arriving, including some who snapped pictures of flood damage.

Not everyone is cheering. Vermont's recovery has not reached every road, and the rebuilding work will persist long after the maple leaves fall. While big swaths of the state were unscathed by the floods, many businesses in affected areas remain shut during what should be a bustling time.

The Wilmington Village Pub marked its 27th anniversary Saturday without a customer -- it is still closed after getting walloped by Irene. "We're hoping for Thanksgiving," said owner Mary Jane Finnegan, who called the Wilmington, Vt., pub her and her husband's retirement nest egg.

Read more: Wall Street Journal