Digging graves during a Wisconsin winter is already difficult. And this winter has been especially b

(18 Mar 2014) Digging graves during a Wisconsin winter is already difficult. And this winter has been especially brutal - but not impossible - for cemetery grounds keepers in the Milwaukee area.
"With the snow blowing and cutting frost you're adding at least an hour extra time if not two hours extra time to digging a grave during the wintertime," says Kerry Carlton, superintendent of grounds at Highland Memorial Park in New Berlin, Wis.
They use what they call "frost teeth" that attach to the backhoe's bucket to cut through the frozen, frosty ground to help break it up. Carlton says usually the ground starts thawing at the end of January, but they are still using the frost teeth in March this year.
"Since we started using the frost tooth we've had to use it on almost every grave," he said.
"It started cold in November and it just, it never let up," said Carlton.
Over at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Wauwatosa, they use a jackhammer to break up the ground. And they've had to use it longer than normal this year.
"It does feel like it's gone on for too long at this point," said Luke Buelow, gounds technician at Pinelawn.
"This year has been the worst that I've seen," he said.
The cemetery grounds crews, as well as everyone else, are more than ready for spring.
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