Mild weather affects natural areas, businesses and winter lovers

Thirteen-year-old Nathan Huber hasn’t been able to skate on the ice rink his dad built on their Batavia land because it hasn’t completely frozen thanks to this winter’s mild temperatures.

During the Jan. 20 snowstorm, Huber happened to have the day off from school, so his father took him to Geneva’s Wheeler Park to see if it was open. Because of falling temperatures at the time, he finally got to skate.

“We did manage to get a few days out of (the rinks),” said Traci Wicks, marketing supervisor for the Geneva Park District, which operates the rink.

But in St. Charles, all three ice skating rinks at Davis, Timber Trails and Langum parks haven’t opened once this winter.

“We’ve never had our ice rinks not open at all,” said Erika Young, marketing manager of the St. Charles Park District. “It’s very uncommon.”

Even though some locals are enjoying the break from zero-degree temperatures and biting wind this winter, the lack of cold and snow has been a nuisance for some because its meant a drop in business. It’s also impacting local nature areas, while for others, it means less time to enjoy winter activities outdoors.

Natural areas

Denis Kania, manager of natural areas for the St. Charles Park District, said the mild winter has led to advantages and disadvantages.

For the first time in his 11 years with the district, Kania said he’s never been able to conduct prescribed burns in January. The burns return nutrients to the soil and eliminate non-native plants among other benefits. They’re typically conducted during a short window between mid-March and April. This winter, the district started burning last month.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a prescribed burn in January,” Kania said. “That was kind of a first.”

The park district has about 600 acres where prescribed burns are conducted on a cycle. One area gets a prescribed burn every three years. Kania, who oversees volunteer cleanups of natural areas, said the lack of snow also makes it easier to cut bushes all the way to the ground when cleaning up areas.

“We’ve been pretty lucky,” he said.

However, Kania also said the mild weather could create problems down the road. The emerald ash borer, which has become a growing problem in St. Charles, may expand to other trees even faster this spring. One or two very cold nights can penetrate trees and kill the larvae that’s hibernating, but because of the mild weather, Kania said that’s probably not happening this year.

“The emerald ash borer is going to be all over the place,” he said.

There may be more of other insects as well because they’re also killed by a winter frost, Kania added.

Bad for business

In his second year in business, Charles Miller, owner of Charles Miller Lawn and Snow in St. Charles, more than doubled his accounts for this winter.

Some people contacted him for plowing work as early as July.

“That blizzard (in February 2011), I think, freaked a lot of people out,” he said.

The uptick led Miller to double his snow-removal crew in preparation for the winter. But despite the growth in accounts, there’s little work now that winter has arrived. With nothing to plow, Miller and his workers don’t get paid.

“You start getting nervous,” he said.

Since the weather hasn’t lived up to expectations so far, he also has about $1,000 tied in equipment costs.

“It’s definitely not good for business,” he said.

Preferably, Miller said he’d like it to snow at least once a week until March. He still has hope that the weather will get colder and snowier.

“All you can do really is hope against what everyone else is hoping — that it doesn’t snow,” he said
In addition, Ron Kappes, who owns Signature Auto Service, 720 N. 17th St., St. Charles, said he’s feeling a downturn in both car maintenance and repair.

Locals aren’t even getting their oil changed, he said. He recalled how busy the shop was early last winter. A typical winter usually yields its share of weather-related accidents, he said. Without weather that leads to that work, Kappes said all he can do is hope something breaks.

And it’s not just his shop that’s been quiet. He said he’s been hearing about the same downturn from other repair shops as well.

Eventually, he said, those who aren’t maintaining their cars with oil changes will have to come in for bigger repairs.

“You always look forward,” he said.

Others, such as Dean Courser, opened Boardsports Unlimited in downtown Geneva. The shop focuses on snowboarding gear.

Before coming to Geneva, Courser owned Vertical Drop ski store in St. Charles. But after he sold the shop in 2005, he began to miss being in business. That longing led him to open Boardsports, which is more focused on snowboarding because the sport has gained in popularity thanks to competitions such as the Winter X Games.

Although he said business was good in Geneva in November and December, it was slow during early January because of rain. Even when the Jan. 20 snowstorm dropped several inches on the area, all the white stuff was all gone just a few days later when rain washed it away.

And even though the mild weather has resulted in a less-than-exciting first season in business so far, he said he’s already looking forward to next winter.