Zionsville residents will soon have a little more warning when a tornado could be in the area.
The Zionsville Town Council Feb. 5 approved using $95,000 to install five new tornado warning sirens throughout town. The exact locations haven’t been determined, but the general areas will be at US 421 and Templin Road, the 9200 block of E SR 32, CR 400 S and CR 800 E, CR 500 S near CR 800 E, and Oak Street and Cooper Road.
Three of the sirens in newly developed areas will be covered by the emergency warning siren fund, which receives revenue from developer fees for that purpose.
The other two sirens – at approximately the 9200 block of E SR 32 and Oak Street and Cooper Road – will be funded with $36,200 through the town’s fire equipment replacement fund. They will be placed in areas that did not previously have adequate coverage, according to Zionsville Fire Dept. Chief James VanGorder.
“The fire department took over responsibility for the severe weather siren program two years ago from the Zionsville Police Dept. because the fire department serves both the urban and rural area,” VanGorder stated in an email. “The Town wanted to be sure this important safety program was covering the entire town of Zionsville.”
The new sirens are all expected to be installed within six months.
