Memorial planned for tornado victims

Associated Press

TOLEDO

Seven people killed in a northwest Ohio storm have been commemorated with seven fiberglass pillars in a plaza with a base of bricks salvaged from municipal offices destroyed when a tornado hit.

The V-shaped memorial in front of the new Lake Township administration building is angled in the direction of the storm’s path, The Blade of Toledo reported Sunday. At its widest point, the $38,000 memorial measures 20 feet, 10 inches to represent the year of the storm, and other measurements signify the date and time the tornado hit.

Plans for the memorial, designed by Normand Associates Inc. of Perrysburg, also include black granite and a brass plaque with the names of those killed. Joe DiMasso, project superintendent for general contractor Rudolph/Libbe, said the company has donated labor and materials, bringing the cost down to $18,000.

“It’s the darkest day in Lake Township history, and we want to preserve it and remember it so future generations remember too,” said township Trustee Richard Welling.

The June storm also ripped apart Lake High School in nearby Millbury, whose students have been attending class at a community college building as work continues on a new, $25 million building slated to open for the 2012-13 school year.

The new, $2.3 million township building is expected to open in May for police and other local government offices. Among its features are a steel roof and a safe room for shelter if there’s another storm.