While some were enjoying the warm temps, others are seeing a decline in business, By Terry McGahan WEST MILFORD While the last few days have been chilly with temperatures more familiar with a New Jersey winter the season as a whole has been exceptionally mild. The holiday season was more bright than white, and an early January saw temperatures scale the high 60’s and threaten to hit the 70’s. The unusual warmth has adversely affected some local businesses. One of those worst affected by the relatively high temperatures is in the plumbing business. Kim Manderino of Mark Lindsay Plumbing and Heating said, “Our business is 50 percent down.” Manderino blames the warm weather for the lack of calls from customers, “We have had a cut back in heating calls. As the weather has been warm people haven’t been running their boilers and when boilers don’t run they don’t break down. A lot of other plumbers are saying the same thing.” Manderino said that the winter period provides them with the majority of their business. “The warmer temperatures are costing us thousands of dollars,” said Manderino. Manderino also cites slow trading factors as a reason for business being slow at this time, “Normally when we have a warm winter the builders continue to work so we have installation jobs, but due to the economic downturn the builders are not working either at the moment.” Local landscaping business owner Pam Bogwald who operates Pamscaping hasn’t seen any pick up in phone calls despite the better than usual conditions. “The mild winter hasn’t affected us at all,” said Bogwald, “We are as quiet as we usually are at this time of year. I think people see this time of year as a rest period, and I am getting my rest period. I think it’s confusing to people.” Mountain Creek Ski resort has been affected this winter but not by as much as might have been thought. Public Relations Spokesperson Shannon McSweeney said, “We will be open again for business tomorrow (Friday).” McSweeney said the resort had been open for business over the holiday season, but that they did close down their ski trails on Jan. 1 due to the rise in temperatures. The recent cold snap however has brought with it the opportunity to open up again. Despite the lack of natural snowfalls of late this does not prevent the resort from offering downhill skiing, “We have the single largest snow making machine in North America,” said McSweeney, “As a resort in New Jersey we can never rely on natural snowfall for our business, so as long as the temperatures are low enough for the snow making machines to work, which they are right now, we can fire the guns up and make snow. This is primarily how we operate.”