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City council set to vote on historic marker for tornado site
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Workers sift through the rubble at the Cooper Pants Factory after the April 6, 1936, tornado struck the town, killing 203 people. The storm led to a fire at the factory that killed dozens of people working there. Now Gainesville City Council is considering a historical marker at the site at Broad and Maple streets downtown.
Gainesville City Council appears poised to approve the placement of a long-awaited historical marker at the site of the former Cooper Pants Factory, which burned during the April 6, 1936, tornado that devastated much of the city. Jessica Tullar, the city’s special projects manager, pitched the proposal Thursday to council members in a work session, with Councilman Bob Hamrick suggesting a ceremony to commemorate the occasion. The council is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution that would obligate the city to pay $2,500 of the $5,000 total cost for the marker.