Predicted harsh winter may be a revenue buster for Grand Rapids

After this opening week of ArtPrize with the city of Grand Rapids filled with warmth, sunshine, and tourists spending money, imagining winter is a bit of a cold, wet blanket, but the predictions of another harsh winter for the Midwest have business owners wondering how another bitter season of snow could affect their bottom lines.

Last winter multiple cycles of polar vortex put a strain on natural gas companies, and many were unable to provide needed fuel because of bottlenecks in the system. The resultant increased demand pushed fuel prices far higher than usual, which cut into many companies’ profits. Multiple EPA-driven closures of coal-fired power plants will only drive prices higher and restrict the supply of energy. A lack of heating fuel could be ruinous for companies that stock groceries, high tech equipment or anything else that must be stored at a constant temperature.

Another commodity in short supply is road salt. Because so much was used last winter, there is less available now and prices will be higher. Most directly affected will be municipalities and commercial snow plow operators. They will have to juggle their budgets to come up with the money for salt. Last year many plowing companies operated at a loss because of all the extra manpower they were contractually obligated to provide. Their rates this year will factor in the potential for harsher weather and will likely be higher - which may mean less blacktop will be cleared. If roads, parking lots, and driveways go unplowed and unsalted, fewer customers will venture out to shop.

Of course a hard winter is boon for some industries. Plenty of snow is a boon for ski slopes and tourist attractions catering to snowmobile enthusiasts, and the cumulative effect of worsening roads gives auto repair shops more work. A survey of businesses in the Grand Rapids area done by the Seidman College of Business at GVSU found that, despite the rigor of last winter, most companies did not report large losses and overall economic growth did not stop in 2014, although it slowed.

West Michigan has weathered any number of cycles, weather and economic, and is still standing strong, but it relies upon the supply of energy at reasonable rates to continue to grow. It remains to be seen if the combination of increased EPA regulation and harsh winter weather will have a strong negative effect on companies in the first quarter of 2015.

Beginning to evaluate fruit damage from The Winter of 2014

Now that the snow is gone and we appear to have dodged spring flooding, for the most part, we will start to see what kind of damage the three rounds of polar vortex did to our trees and landscaping.

Earlier this month Michigan State University wrote a summary of their evaluation of blueberry crop damage due to road salting and extreme low temperatures. Blueberry bushes exposed to salt because of their close proximity to highways  (up to 100% in some places) had a higher dieback rate than blueberry bushes exposed just to cold, but both suffered substantial damage: "in areas where minimum temperatures dropped below 0 F for several days, we may expect to observe winter damage to blueberries in the range of 20 to 61 percent."

Apples and pears can take colder temperatures, but stone fruits like peaches and cherries are more vulnerable. Grape vines for table grapes and Michigan's growing wine industry were affected as well, although a decent grape crop is still a possibility even with significant bud loss.

Besides damage from the weight of snow and ice, trees and bushes also suffered predation from hungry animals who could not find other food in the harsh winter. Deer, rabbits, and mice nibbled at winter wheat and tree bark, inflicting an unusually high amount of damage on fruit trees.

It's also obvious that everything is going to be later than normal. It's the end of April, and tulips and daffodils are out. In many ways the long, slow warm up was the best possible outcome, both for avoiding flooding and for fruit outcomes, but it means later crops and smaller planting windows for early spring crops like sugar beets. The fields have taken a long time to drain as well, with so much snow melt. Fortunately, April was  not an overly wet month - a blessing.

Michigan is fortunate to have such a diversity of crops grown - all of our tables are improved by the abundance and variety of Michigan agriculture. But spring is a anxious time for farmers in many crop industries, particularly after the abnormal winter we just experienced. It seems likely that we as consumers won't see the vacuum of fruit as in 2012, but say a prayer or keep your fingers crossed for the farmers anyway. They need good crop years to reinvest in our foodshed and themselves.

Spring Has Sprung In Michigan

Spring has finally arrived in Michigan.  After the drudgery that was this winter, there is no doubt that Michiganders are more than ready for some spring fun.  This season check out some of the following family activities.  

1.  Take an outdoor trip with the family to the Blandford Nature Center.  There is no better way to enjoy the excitement of spring than to be surrounded by the beauty that Michigan has to offer.  With 143 acres of land and wildlife, Blandford Nature Center offers numerous trails, wildlife exhibits, and the enjoyment of pure nature.  You can even bring the dogs (as long as they stay on a leash)

2.  Nothing signifies spring in Grand Rapids more than the annual Butterflies Are Blooming exhibit at Frederik Meijer Gardens.  This yearly exhibition is the largest tropical butterfly display in the nation.  Guests can surround themselves with the tranquility of hundreds of butterflies from around the world.  The exhibition ends April 30, so there is still time to experience this fantastic treat. 

3.  The updated Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium in downtown Grand Rapids is now open!  All of the new shows in the planetarium will feature the latest projection technology and advanced surround sound for the ultimate stargazing experience.  With over $1 million in upgrades, the new shows are worth scheduling an outing for.  To access shows and prices, visit http://www.grmuseum.org/planetarium.

4.  Bring the kids down to John Ball Park Zoo, Saturday May 3 for Party for the Planet.  With over 20 participating organizations, this is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Learn how to preserve the world’s resources through science experiments, demonstrations, and craft activities.  Great family fun for the spring!

5.  Yet another outdoor activity to soak up the natural Michigan beauty this spring is hiking Reed’s Lake Trail in East Grand Rapids.  The trail is a 4.2 mile hike that loops around Reed’s Lake.  It travels through wooded areas, wonderful views of the water, and wetlands.  The trail is extremely family friendly and accessible for bikes, joggers, and dog-walkers.  

These are just a few activities to do with the family this spring.  I assume I speak for many here in Grand Rapids when I say that the warmer weather is a welcome stranger.  Any activity that involves the natural beauty of Michigan should be top priority after the intensity of this winter.      

The snow has melted, now what?

Fortunately for Grand Rapids, after a relentless winter, we had a cool and dry March - which gave the 5 inches of water we'd built up in snow form a chance to melt and run off slowly. So far, despite a bit of ice dam panic, we haven't had too much flooding.

In the last week we've had warmer days, and most of the snow is now gone. Over the next few days, we could see some very wintry precipitation, including snow, ice, freezing rain, and rain, and next week looks likely for some wetter weather. Which means we could see the Grand River rising again, something no one wants after last year's destruction - which cost $13.1 million in Kent County alone.

The City of Grand Rapids has been negotiating with FEMA over the height of its floodwalls and attempting to woo Walker into sharing the cost of extending them along the river's northwest side.  Engineers have analyzed the weaknesses in the current floodwall system. A 100-year flood event - or a flood that has a 1% risk of happening in any year - would result in significant city flooding. In the interim, although city manager Greg Sundstrom does not believe we are looking at even lesser category flooding like last year's, the city has purchased 50,000 sandbags just in case so that, if necessary, the levees near Turner Ave. could be sandbagged and flooding in the city, like it saw in 1904, would be avoided. The wastewater treatment facility, which was sandbagged last year, is also a concern.

Sandbags are certainly good to have around in the short term, but it would be nice to feel confident that the city is on top of this issue. Because April is traditionally quite a rainy month, and our ground is still pretty saturated. It wouldn't take that much more rainfall to cause problems - now or some other spring.

Getting ready for spring - and the garden

It’s the beginning of March now, and while nearly all of us are tired of looking at the snow, some of us are planning what we will plant in our yards and gardens. I've just re-upped for a CSA share with Eden Farms, and while it's too cold (so cold!) to put up my greenhouse yet, the seed and plant catalogs have started to arrive, and I can’t help but dream of new green shoots coming from fertile spring soil. I know I have a lot of work to do when all of this finally melts, though, because winter hit before I had time to mulch the vegetable garden or my flower beds. My usual rabbit manure supplier disappeared from Craigslist, and I had plans to get some horse manure one Saturday morning in November, but then it snowed, and I didn't want to drive in it, and, well, it all seems laughable now, 110 inches of snow later. I wish I could go back and kick my November self in gear now.

Mulch tackles a number of important jobs in the garden. Besides keeping weeds down, it maintains soil temperature better and more evenly, keeping the summer’s warmth in longer - as well as the winter’s chill. Mulch helps to control erosion from wind and rain and keeps moisture from evaporating, giving plants more time to soak up rain. As it decomposes, it enriches the soil, adding its nutrients and modifying its composition, making it more chemically and physically complex and better for plant growth. A well mulched yard or garden also looks much neater and is easier to work in.

So when is the proper time to mulch your flower or garden beds? Mulching in fall is a great idea to protect your plants from icy winds and bitter cold, but when spring comes, you’ll want to rake that mulch back until your seedlings sprout and grow a bit. This will allow the ground around your plants to warm up and will allow the rain to drain better and keep from waterlogging your soil, especially this year when we have up to 5 inches of rain in frozen form ready to be absorbed. Once the ground has warmed and dried up a bit, then it will be time to rake the mulch back and add more. How much mulch is enough? The USDA recommends a total of 2-4 inches of bark or wood mulch, spread evenly over the entire area being covered.  If more quickly decomposing matter is used - such as leaves or compost - they advise using 3-4 inches. Measure your garden carefully to determine the volume of compost that you will need using this depth. It's early in the season, but some outlets, like Kamps are already offering discounts on landscaping products, including mulch.

If you didn’t mulch this last fall, don’t worry. That thick layer of snow we’ve had all winter has served as a kind of mulch protecting and insulating your plants. It will likely be a wet spring, but your perennials will eventually peek up out of the soil and then spread their leaves and bask in May’s sunshine - as will the rest of us.

Thundersnow? C'mon!

Mark Torregrossa, the meteorologist over at Mlive, has updated his predictions for what we can expect from today's "thundersnow." Previous reports said we could expect rain, sleet, snow, ice, and "everything but the kitchen sink."  A real extravaganza.

I'm sending up the white flag. My snowblower's broken, my roof rake is broken, and my last snow shovel has a huge crack in it. I finally borrowed one from my sister because Meijer had no more in stock. The ice dams on my house are unreal as none of the snow from December (before I was raking) has melted until now. Tuesday night, my dining room ceiling sprung a leak. I climbed up on a ladder to chip away at the ice on that part of the roof, and managed to stop the leak, although I suspect the higher temperature had more to do with it than my hammer and chisel, melting the ice that had crept up under the shingles so the water could make its way down the roof instead of inside it.

My driveway is a wreck. This would have been the year to hire a snow removal service, but since our family is down one income, we didn't. Our truck can make it up the steep slope, but my car can't, so it's parked in the garage. The snow piles on either side of my driveway are taller than I am, so it's hard to throw any new accumulation up over what is already there. Some of my neighbors have been very good about clearing their sidewalks after the storms and blizzards, but many sidewalks around here remain unshoveled and treacherous. The City of Grand Rapids has again warned that those homeowners will be fined if the city has to do the work for them, but I haven't seen anyone from the city out on the northeast side yet.  Of course, I've been pretty housebound.  

My son has missed so much school that the school closings page is permanently open in my browser. School districts are cancelling winter break and scheduling make up days into the June calendar.  I. Give. Up. White flag! Please, winter - go away. But gradually, now, so we don't have flooding.

At least the house is still standing (knock wood). Around West Michigan roofs, car ports and garages, overhangs, and entire houses have collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. The only thing good about today's snow spectacle is that the rain might remove some of the snow from the roofs around here and clear some of the streets. When it freezes again, as it's supposed to, it will be hazardous driving and walking for awhile, though.

Anyone else have winter kvetching they would like to do? This is for posterity, remember. Your future grandchildren want to know about the winter of 2013-14 - the Big One.

Is Grand Rapids in for another Great Deluge this spring?

After months of snow and frigid temperatures, parts of West Michigan have the equivalent of 5 inches of rain, in frozen form, blocking their driveways, piled up against their houses and businesses, and in their streets. The usual pattern of accumulation, melt, accumulation, melt hasn't proved true this year, and unless we get a very gradual thaw, this could be a serious problem for many home and business owners in the coming weeks because the water has to go somewhere.

Beginning next Wednesday, we are in for a mini-thaw that will probably feel like summer after temperatures that have only climbed into the double digits at midday. That sudden increase will melt at least some of the standing snow and may create significant problems.

In recent days many have worried their roofs may collapse from the weight of all that snow, but under a thaw, new problems crop up. The snow accumulated on a well insulated roof will melt and refreeze and may create ice dams instead. Backed up ice can get under roof shingles and drip through ceilings, it can pull gutters out of shape or even off roofs, and it can suddenly break and fall off of a roof dropping a heavy weight on whatever lies beneath. Keep an eye on your roof to make sure this doesn't happen to you.

Ice can also melt and cause flooding. Get whatever snow you can away from the foundation of your house so that the water flows away from and not into it. We all know that melts can create ice jams and dam up rivers too. This is largely outside of our control, and we can only hope that the City of Grand Rapids floodwall system is in decent shape as there hasn't been time to entirely repair or improve the floodwall yet.  It only barely held out last year, and there was no reason to panic about flooding during the relatively mild winter of 2012-13. That winter was certainly not this winter. We may get some rain as well, which would only add to the runoff problems.

There's no reason to panic now. We can hope that the mini-thaw will not be problematic and will clear up the streets and melt down already formed ice dams. Just bear in mind that if you live near a river or in a place water pools, you should have a plan for dealing with it in mind now - before it's a problem.

The Pain of Potholes: One More Thing to Endure This Winter

If your drive to work in the morning is anything similar to mine, you understand the dismal pothole situation happening on Grand Rapids roads.  I have mastered the art of the quick swerve to avoid pummeling my car into an unexpected pothole.  Not only are we dealing with loads of snow and ice this winter, but driving around Grand Rapids has become similar to a video game in which the goal is to master the side-to-side maneuver to avoid hitting a pothole, not to mention another car.  

TRIP, a Washington D.C. based national transportation nonprofit, estimated that the average Grand Rapids driver spends $1,027 in repairs per year driving on faulty and unsafe roads.  An annual pavement analysis for Grand Rapids stated that the condition of roads in the city improved in 2013.  Some experts believe the improvement statistics are due to “short-term fixes,” that will eventually become faulty, which is perhaps what we drivers are experiencing this winter.  The Metro Council put out a report in 2013 which documented the overall pavement conditions of the Grand Rapids area road network.  They concluded:

 “Continued under investment in the core transportation infrastructure combined with the loss of buying power for local municipalities has resulted in the worst conditions since GVMC started doing surveys in the mid 1990’s.”

The City of Grand Rapids awarded some money last year for pothole damage claims.  They also denied fifty-five claims; most they stated were not reported correctly, thus they had no knowledge of the pothole and no chance to fix it, according to a report from the comptroller’s office.  There are proper steps to filing a claim of pothole damage on your car to the city.  Make sure you document the time and location of the pothole, and photograph both the damages and the pothole; similar to if you were filing a claim with your insurance agency.  Take all the appropriate steps to ensure you have a chance at an award for your damages.  

Along with trying to get damages paid for, we all want to make sure our cars are all right after this treacherous winter.  Take a few simple steps to check if your car has pothole damage.  Check your tires first for flats or punctures, inspect your tire rims for dents, and make sure your shocks and struts are properly maintained.  The smartest thing to do after nailing a huge pothole is take your car into your auto mechanic for a quick inspection.  That pothole can cause further damage than you would think.  Better safe than sorry; especially when it comes to funding repairs.

This winter will have tested not only our stamina as Michigan residents, but the durability of our vehicles too.  I hope that the Grand Rapids Streets and Sanitation Department takes a close look at the condition of our roads and comes to a solution that will protect our vehicles in the future.  

Snowy December and a very White Christmas

Winter kicked in early and rather passionately this year, with snow accumulating earlier than Thanksgiving.  December's snowfall is climbing up the records ladder to 8th snowiest in recorded history with almost an entire week left in the month to add to the accumulated 30.8 inches. Compared with the average snowfall as of this date, 17.9 inches, we're in the thick of it. Remember, this time last year there was no snow.

We haven't been pounded by it or snowed in with blizzards, rather it's snowed nearly every day this month, making for a number of treacherous commutes and car accidents as most of the side roads are snow (or ice) covered. It's also been colder than usual, which has made living even less comfortable, as 533,000 homes and businesses lost power after last week's historic - and deadly - ice storm. Many West Michigan families had to make alternate plans for Christmas, temporarily bunking with family and friends, and hurriedly draining their pipes before celebrating the holiday.

Despite the nearly constant snowfall, Grand Rapids snow plows have done a good job of clearing roads and driveways in a timely fashion, and, for the most part, neighbors have done well at keeping their sidewalks shoveled.  Remember, the City requires that your sidewalk be shoveled; if the snow builds up, they will send out city workers to clear your sidewalk and assess you a hefty fee for doing it. It's much cheaper to just go out there and push a shovel around, particularly when snows are light as they've been.

It looks like January may also be cold and snowy, although that, of course, remains to be seen.  I'd bet on getting a lot more use out of your skis, skates, and sleds this year. Winter sports are a great thing to do with squirrel-y house-bound, sugared up kids.  If you're not sure where to go sledding, here's another list of fun sledding hills in Grand Rapids.  Check out one or two of them before the holidays are over and then come inside for some hot chocolate.

Happy Holidays, everyone!  Here's to a health, wealth, sustenance, and love in 2014!

Winter hits Grand Rapids a little early

You just never know what you're going to get with weather in Michigan.  Last year winter didn't hit until halfway through January, and this year we have snow on the ground - with actual school delays and closings -  before Thanksgiving.  It's been a number of years since that last time that happened.  The city hadn't yet swept the gutters of leaves, many of them only fallen in the last week, so now there are frozen clumps of them at the ends of driveways, pushed up by the plow.  Be careful backing out!  Here's hoping we get a spate of warmer temperatures so that last clean up can get done before snow is here to stay.

The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a "biting cold & snowy" winter for the Great Lakes.  Bill Steffen also thinks we're in for some real winter weather, and early.  None of that is written in stone, of course, but if you haven't hired your snow removal contractor or checked your snow blower to make sure it still runs and you have both gas and oil for it, now is the time.  Small engine repair shops in Grand Rapids usually have a couple of weeks' wait time for service, so procrastinating until that first big blizzard and then pulling the cord and praying - it's not such a great plan.  It's also worth picking up a sack of salt or kitty litter to cover those icy spots on your driveway and sidewalks.  Round up the snow shovels, too, and put them where they are close to hand, and make sure your car is ready to drive in snow.

Walking on icy sidewalks can be a challenge.  Owners on the northeast side of the city, at least, are pretty good at shoveling, particularly early on in the winter.  But after that first major storm, the number of icy encrusted sidewalks build.  That's when you want to start wearing Yaktrax, or at least boots with thicker tread, and stepping carefully, choosing grass or snow over icy surfaces.

If you're new to the area, the bad news is Grand Rapids is cloudy in winter.  We do not get the bitter cold temperatures that sweep over the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, but the trade off is overcast days and lake effect snow.  If you have Seasonal Affective Disorder or get the "winter blues," investing in a sun light might not be a bad idea.  Also, even though you might want to stay inside and burrow under your covers, exercise is great for shaking off a gloomy mood.

Fortunately, there are a lot of fun things to do in Grand Rapids in the winter.  There's local skiing and snowboarding, ice skating in or outdoors, and plenty of sledding hills.  Horse drawn carriages tour the downtown.  The Civic Theater does a family production every year at this time.  This year is The Sound of Music.  Then there are the holiday traditions: the Grand Rapids Symphony is doing Holiday Pops, the Grand Rapids Ballet will perform The Nutcracker, and the Calvin Oratorio Society will perform Handel's Messiah.  Before and after the holidays, there are a number of cultural opportunities for music, drama, and art enthusiasts.

In short, winter is coming: prepare, but do not despair!