Warm winter blues

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He thought he was thinking ahead when he nailed the stakes into the loose dirt in front of the union two months ago. He was going to beat the Michigan freeze. But what was supposed to be an ice skating rink by now, in the words of senior Michael Peters, student director of men’s residence life, is “basically a pool.”

She gets to have a normal work day. She doesn’t have to trudge through snow banks to get to her front door. And her crew doesn’t have to clear any roads or lay any salt in addition to their tedious work routines.

“It’s been a welcome blessing,” said Vicky Phetteplace, superintendent of custodial services.

Michigan’s warm winter, while a blessing to some, has posed challenges to others in the Hillsdale community. For Phetteplace, the lack of snow and ice has lessened the typical stress and workload that winter usually brings.

“On a scale from one to 10 in terms of severity, I would rank the winter we’ve had so far as a four,” Phetteplace said. “Typically we have a full plate of job tasks and the adverse weather slows the maintenance teams down and adds to the normal workload, which is already a lot. Like any job, you have to prioritize time. But our crew is flexible and always does a good job.”

Outside of Hillsdale, Michigan sporting events have also been impacted by the balmy winter. The Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported that due to lack of snow, the Indian River Sprint Dog Sled Race was canceled. In Mason Country, Mich., Erin Lloyd of the Northern Michigan 9&10 New reported that the Michigan Ice Open, an ice fishing competition, was also canceled.

While Michigan is heading into its second warmest winter since 1932, many residents are hesitant to give up on the possibility of more cold weather.

For Peters, the weather hasn’t created serious problems, but has left many students disappointed about missing out on typical winter activities. While the ice skating rink behind the Grewcock Student Union has yet to get as much use as in previous years, Peters remains optimistic.

“We’re still anticipating a Hillsdale winter, so we’re going to keep the rink up and give it a shot,” he said. “If all else fails, we’ll hold a pool party at the end of the year.”