CORALVILLE - The face of Coralville will likely change a little following the flood. But much of the Coralville Strip will look the same or even better in a few months.

The Vine is doing a lot of work in hopes of reopening in about 6 weeks. Crews had to replace some of the wood studs. You can tell in the color from old to new. They are redesigning the floor to allow for bigger parties to sit together. And the cement floor was wood. The owner wants to open in time for the first Hawkeye football game on August 30th. She stands to make a lot of money because crowds of people fill this place on game days. Other restaurants on the strip have the same sense of responsibility to re-open.

Employees at Old Chicago power-wash the mud off the back fence. The owner says he wants to be open in time for the Iowa-Iowa State game in mid-September. Football and food go hand in hand. Joe McLaughlin will probably open sooner. He says he, and other businesses, owe it to the community and their employees to reopen. McLaughlin said, “I’ve got a lot kids. I can only keep them doing this for so long. We gotta do what we really do, selling beer and pizza."

Of course, not every business will be able to reopen the doors. Param Singh bought House of Aromas six months ago. The flood is forcing him out. Singh said, "We have lost everything and it's too expensive."

Each individual business has a tough decision to make. But after 27 years, Mitch Strang is determined to reopen Taco John's. He said, "I don't think I could imagine the Coralville Strip not being here as it was before the flood."

And as the sign says, Taco Johns, and likely the strip as well, will be bigger and better than before.

We tried talking to all 18 restaurant owners on the strip affected by flooding. Twelve say they will reopen, or hope to. Just House of Aromas is closed. We were unable to reach five businesses.

Email Steve Nicoles at Steve.Nicoles@kcrg.com