Putnam County has opened a new park to memorialize those killed in the March 2020 tornado.
County Mayor Randy Porter said there are two monuments at the park: one honoring the nineteen who died in the tornado and another showing appreciation to the first responders on the scene that day. Porter said the county wanted to make sure there was something in the area where the tragedy happened to make sure those who were lost will not be forgotten.
“It was just, it was a terrible time for our community but folks turned out and it just reminded us of what a great community we live in,” Porter said. “And so we wanted something to go there that would remind the generations in the future of what a great community we live in.”
Porter said it was a long process to get the park finished but he thinks it was meant to be so the park could open on the fifth anniversary of the disaster. Porter said the space serves not only as a memorial but a public space for citizens in the area to use and enjoy.
“It’s got picnic tables and benches, a nice little green space for kids to play,” Porter said. “And we just wanted to do something in that area that would give folks a place to go.”
Porter said the county talked with the families of those who died in the tornado and the majority of them did not want to have a formal dedication for the park. Porter said the families felt it would bring back bad memories and did not want to do any sort of public event.
“Monday morning it’ll just be open to the public from that point forward,” Porter said. “They can stop by and check it out.”
Porter said the 2020 tornado was the largest natural disaster in Putnam County since a tornado hit the area in 1974. Porter said people always talk about the devastation of the 1974 tornado but nothing was ever done to memorialize its victims and the county did not want that to be the case again.
The park is located next to the county’s Veterans Services Office on West Broad Street.
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