Warm winter weather has several effects

Sunglasses and T-shirts are quickly making their way back onto the Bloomington fashion scene with warm weather approaching. \nStyle, however, is not the only thing the warmer weather has affected. IU Physical Plant director Hank Hewetson said costs attributed to winter-related problems have been reduced this year.\n"Heating costs have been reduced, but overall maintenance costs have been reduced as well," Hewetson said. "There have been less maintenance problems in buildings, fewer freeze-related problems and less overtime for emergency repairs."\nThe lack of snow in the recent weeks helped finances also, Hewetson said.\nSunday, the average temperature in Bloomington was 34.7 degrees, up 10.4 degrees from the same day last year, according to the Weather Underground Web site. The weather was similar Monday with an average temperature of 32 degrees, up 10.2 degrees since last year.\nWhile the Physical Plant has saved money because of the reduced emergency maintenance and less overtime, Hewetson is not looking at the saved finances as money that should be spent.\n"It is simply a cost avoidance," he said. "We feel that all things considered, we have been fortunate."\nAlong with lower costs of heating, students could possibly start to see a change in plant life at IU if the warm weather continues, said Roger Hangarter, plant physiologist and professor of biology.\n"Garden plants like crocus and daffodils are dormant in the fall and part of the winter, but after several weeks of cold, they are able to grow when the temperature is permissive," Hangarter said.\nWhile native plants have an easier time adapting to changing temperatures, non-native garden plants have more difficulty when weather switches back and forth from warm to cold, Hangarter said.\n"What is wrong is that the non-native plants are growing in the wrong environment," he said. "All one needs to do is take a walk in the woods to see that the large majority of native plants will usually keep their growth in check long enough to be much less likely to be caught in a harmful freeze."\nWhile Hangarter admits it seems that it has been a warm winter, he is uncertain the winter is completely over or that this winter was unusually warm. \n"It seems to me that the perception that winters are unusually warm may actually be due to what we all think winter should be like from other experiences," Hangarter said. "At a university the size of IU, many people come here from other parts of the country where winters are more severe. I also suspect that many people have an image of winter that may be based on images they have from television, movies and national news, where there is an emphasis on the extremes rather than on their own real experiences."\nWhile the difference in the weather from last year to this year may not be significant, students are feeling a change with the warmer weather. \nSenior Jenna Meinert said going to class is easier when it is warm because in the winter, waiting for the bus in unbearable with the winter chill.\n"Though I am more likely to go to class, it is much more difficult to concentrate on homework because I would rather be outside enjoying the weather," Meinert said. "I don't feel guilty sitting in the library all day when it is cold and nasty, but it's hard to do that when it is warm and sunny."\nStacey Hall-Yanessa, interim program director of Intramural and Club Sports, is eager to see if the warm weather will get more students involved with sports.\n"We are hoping because it is warmer, students will be more ready to go play outside," Hall-Yanessa said.\nThe Brown County State Park Abe Martin Lodge & Cabins in Nashville, Ind., is also hoping for increased business this year, front desk manager Kim Wright said. Occupancy there was up five percent in January, and Wright attributed the rise in the number of rentals to the warm weather. \n"With the weather so warm, people have had a lot more to do," Wright said.