A big dose of This and That to wrap up the week

Tornado confirmation in Wednesday’s storms. Cost, groundbreaking set on WL’s Public Safety Center. WLPD’s AI plans. First move on $350M District at Tapawingo. Do-over for part of Cason Family Park

• Support for this edition comes from Food Finders Food Bank. Food Finders’ mission is serving a 16-county service area who are one emergency away from hunger. Check in here to volunteer or to donate to make a difference this summer.

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A lot happening here …

2 TORNADOES CONFIRMED IN WEDNESDAY’S STORM

Wednesday afternoon’s storms produced two tornadoes in Tippecanoe County, the National Weather Service reported Thursday. Both registered as EF0 tornadoes that “showed signs of skipping along their path with significant straight line wind damage along a path stretching across much of the county,” the National Weather Service’s Indianapolis office reported. The NWS reported that “only two touchdowns were definitive with only weak signs of circulation along the remainder of the damage path.”

• The first touched down at 3:02 p.m. Wednesday near County Roads 850 West and 200 South, between West Point and the Granville area. It was on the ground for a little more than a half-mile, with peak winds of 80 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

• The NWS reported that the second touched down at 3:10 p.m. near County Road 500 North, just north of West Lafayette, before dissipating in a field to the northeast, heading toward the area near Harrison High School. It was on the ground for a third of a mile, with peak winds of 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

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GROUNDBREAKING SET FOR WEST LAFAYETTE PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER, AS CONSTRUCTION PRICE COMES IN WITHIN BUDGET

West Lafayette will have a groundbreaking for its public safety center – a fire station/police department combo that includes the former City Hall site – on July 15, after construction costs for the project came in this week within budget.

The West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission set the guaranteed maximum price for construction at $62.2 million, based on bids collected over the past two months by Kettelhut Construction, which is managing the project for the city.

The overall cost, once design, furnishings and other so-called “soft” costs are factored in, will be $73 million, according to figures shared with the redevelopment commission Wednesday.