If residents of Salisbury’s Milford Hills neighborhood harbor a secret hope that global warming is for real, you can’t blame them.

Considering what they’ve had to endure in the past month, a prolonged spell of balmy weather may be the only way they can get some relief from the odors emanating from the Associated Asphalt plant off Jake Alexander Boulevard.

It isn’t just the past month, of course; residents have had to contend with unpleasant aromas from the plant since 1997, despite pleas for help from local and state environmental officials. But, after a period when it seemed the plant might have tamed its emissions problem, residents say the unpleasant aromas are back, and worse than ever. Last Saturday alone, they filed eight complaints with the city, leading to a $100 citation against the plant.

Residents think the arrival of cold weather has worsened the problem, holding the unpleasant emissions closer to the ground rather than allowing them to float up, up and away and dissipate more quickly into the atmosphere. If that’s the case, predictions of below-normal temperatures through the rest of the winter don’t bode well for Milford Hills (unless there’s an increase in head colds and nasal congestion).

What’s especially frustrating for residents is that no one disputes there’s a problem. City officials have issued numerous citations against the plant, imposed new zoning to prevent any future expansion at the site, and tightened the nuisance ordinance to give it more enforcement clout. State officials set up monitoring stations to test the air quality and have promised to give residents the results of their findings soon. Plant officials, meanwhile, say they’re aware of the problem and want to improve their odor controls but have been delayed because of emissions testing they were doing for state environmental officials.

Talk and good intentions mean little, however, as long as bad smells persist. Residents now are doing what aggrieved citizens often do when their patience expires. They’re making noises about going to court. That could be a costly proposition for all involved — and, in all likelihood, it’s a step that could be avoided. Residents aren’t making an unreasonable demand, after all. Most of us want to be able to walk outside without having to hold our noses, whatever the weather may be.

While there’s agreement on the problem, moving more quickly toward a solution will require a sterner response from the city — and more action from Associated Asphalt. For one thing, as some residents have suggested, the city should increase its fines. While a $100 slap on the wrist may sting, it doesn’t provide as much motivation as a heftier fine, even one paid under protest. State officials need to avoid further delay in giving residents the results of their earlier air-quality tests. Finally, the company could enhance its credibility with residents if it expedited those new controls and stopped challenging the city’s nuisance ordinance. Better to focus on battling the odor problem rather than attacking air-quality enforcement mechanisms.

Meanwhile, residents can only hope that when the groundhog shows up, he doesn’t see his shadow — and isn’t wearing a gas mask.