Take winter, for instance. In August, when sunshine was cheap and the city council, alarmed that an out-of-town outfit had underbid local contractors by more than $80,000, delayed a vote on a $364,000 crack-sealing contract for Chatham Road. At the time, public works director Mark Mahoney warned that a delay might result in the project getting jammed up by cold weather. But aldermen said they wanted to know why the contractor would be doing the work for less money than competitors, a question homeowners rarely ask when a contractor with bona fides submits a low bid. In the end, the contract was awarded as proposed, but nearly a month later than anticipated. Now, with just half of Chatham Road completed, work has been suspended because, surprise, winter has come. Mahoney says the city won’t know until spring whether work can proceed as planned or whether another winter’s worth of wear and tear will force a different fix, which could end up costing more. McMenamin, the sole alderman who voted against tabling the contract last summer, at this week's meeting asked Mahoney to thank city engineers for accurately predicting that winter was coming. “Start earlier next year,” opined Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath, who voted to delay the contract vote. “Well, we got snow three-and-a-half weeks early,” said Ward 6 Ald. Kristin “Mother Nature” DiCenso, who also voted for the delay and is reportedly studying to become a meteorologist.