Warsaw will be the seventh city in the Hoosier state to have a Safe Haven Baby Box.
Tuesday night the Warsaw Common Council unanimously approved the installation of a baby box after the idea had been discussed at various city meetings for months.
The Council decision comes just days after a resident called the Safe Haven Baby Box Hotline to make arrangements to surrender an infant. That’s the first time Safe Haven has been used in Kosciusko County.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory approved the installation plans two weeks ago. It will be located at Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Station 2 on Center Street in Warsaw on the west side of the building – near the firefighters’ living quarters.
The Safe Haven Baby Box will allow people to safely and legally drop off newborns, no questions asked.
The device is equipped to lock the baby inside the temperature-controlled box and come with an alarm system to notify 911.
The city also plans to establish another safeguard by having the system connected to alert emergency dispatch. That measure is expected to cost $2,000 to $3,000 and will be covered by the city.
The box itself has a $10,000 price tag. That cost and a $200 annual service fee will be covered by North Central Indiana Right To Life.
A contract will be taken to the Board of Works on March 1 to move the project forward.
