The Town of Innisfail is out thousands of dollars after passing on the wrong tombstone information to a Sylvan Lake monument company.
The error was reported to town council on Jan. 14. Council was told during the accounts discussion with administration that the town paid Everest Memorials $5,759.25 to replace a large upright granite tombstone at the Innisfail Cemetery.
The town has admitted it had passed on wrong information to the monument company last fall on the deceased's burial location in a double plot. The mistake occurred when the ìright/leftî locator information was inadvertently mixed up and sent to the monument company, said Heather Whymark, the town's director of corporate services.
ìThe gentleman's (deceased) name was put on the wrong side of the monument,î said Whymark. ìThe town accepts accountability. We did not provide the right information.î
Whymark said it is the first time she is aware of that the town has made such a mistake.
She said the decision was made immediately to replace the entire monument as it was all in once piece. She conceded the unintentional blunder was ìstressfulî to the family but added they were ìhappyî the town immediately moved forward at its expense to correct the mistake.
Jim Caldwell, owner of Everest Memorials, said it is also the first time he has ever seen such a communications error that led to wrong identity information on a monument.
ìIt was a human error but these things happen,î said Caldwell.
He said the new monument, a specialty product, will be ready this summer to be placed in the cemetery.
