COOKEVILLE, Tenn — A bronze sculpture, aimed at memorializing the lives lost when an EF-4 tornado ripped through Cookeville, will be built at Dogwood Park, Mayor Ricky Shelton announced on Facebook.
The tornado killed 19 people on March 3, 2020.
Shelton said members of the Leadership Putnam Class of 2022 -- Emily Gibson, Geoff Root, Tyler Mitchell and John W. Smith -- raised $85,000 in donations for the sculpture project, which costs about $105,000 in total. The Cookeville City Council voted to contribute the final $20,000 at its last meeting.
Artist Brad Sells designed the sculpture and sculptor David Fricke is constructing it, Shelton said.
It will be installed at the park in 2023.