Winter businesses dealing with whiplash of arctic cold and warming temps
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — This winter season has been a whiplash of record warmth to arctic cold, then back to a thaw.
For businesses that rely on the snow and ice, it's required patience and problem solving.
"We got on site in November and started laying the groundwork and all the irrigation and lights and things went in and then it's just waiting for the cold," recalled Wally Bullard, Midwest Ops Manager for Ice Castles. "We had a short cold snap in December and we got some growth, lost a little bit of it, worked on some other projects around and then as soon as it got cold again we turned the water back on."
After record warmth in December and this recent cold blast of 15 days in a row below freezing and 10 below average, the ice castles are about to be up and running.
Bullard says luckily, the nights are still getting below freezing. He's hoping the Ice Castles will be open until the start of daylight saving time in March.
For some family members around the metro, they're making do with the warmer weather. John Morissette in Maple Grove was out on the playground with his granddaughter Ember and other family members.
"I would prefer more snow so we could do more things," he said.
The Ice Castles in Maple Grove open for the season Wednesday at 5 p.m. Bullard says the best time to come is about 30 minutes before sunset.