Mexico Point State Park made it through the rough winter "wonderfully," the park's caretaker said in early April. Patrick Vrooman said preventive maintenance was the key to keeping Casey's Cottage, the caretaker's cottage, and the park grounds in shape to withstand the season's unusually heavy snowfall. Exposed pipes were covered last fall, and some roof shingles were replaced on the caretakers' cottage to avoid springtime leaks. The worst part about the winter, aside from a few chilly nights, was just dealing with the volume of snow. "It got a little hairy when we got the week of heavy snow," said Vrooman. During that time, he kept his vehicle outside the park gates, and wore heavy coveralls to walk to the car. Vrooman only missed one day of work at Watertown High School, where he teaches global studies. One casualty of the winter was the so-called "Wizard of Oz" tree, a gnarly-shaped monstrosity. It split down the middle during a windstorm last fall. Town crews came in to remove the debris, Vrooman said. But the winter also provides some spectacular shows of nature. "I've never seen the lake freeze out so far," Vrooman said. "Then, in a matter of three days, it was gone. It was just amazing." People have already begun to visit the park again, starting off the 2007 season, which begins officially in mid-April. Plans are under way for continued maintenance and improvements at the park. This year, Vrooman hopes to bring in some topsoil, in addition to the normal beach preparation work. His staff of lifeguard's help with much of that work, he said. Vrooman said swimmers will likely be guided to the western beach again this year, as algae and seaweed issues continue to be a problem at the east beach. Last year, he said, that beach was only open an average of one out of every four days because of the high algae levels and seaweed volume. This was the first year in the park's history that a year-round caretaker was available. Vrooman said the arrangement is working well for all involved. He and his wife, Jennifer, were married in the fall. She is finishing up her college courses, and plans to teach as well. Vrooman said he'd like to stay on as caretaker for a couple of more years. "I love the job," he said. "It works out so well with my teaching schedule," which allows summers off so he can concentrate on park matters. Now, Vrooman is handling the upcoming season's schedule, with the help of park trustee Betty Green and plans are under way for some new flowerbeds. By the first of April, there were already five weddings on the park's summer schedule, said Vrooman. A couple of them were expected to be large events, he said.