Members of the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office’s Search and Rescue 131 unit, Marquette County Board of Commissioners and others gather outside of the Search and Rescue 131 building located behind the Marquette County Health Department Friday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility. The building is centrally located, with search and rescue members within five miles for a quick response time, said Capt. Steve Kangas with the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office, who oversees the rescue unit. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s actually going to be the new home for Rescue 131 and search and rescue special operations,” Kangas said. “This building is going to hold all our equipment for 911 calls that come in. If something happens right now, this truck would be ready to go, warmed up, and not in the environment, it’s just quick access for whatever call we got.” The unit was formerly housed in a garage at the Michigan State Police Negaunee Post and rented by the county. Weather-related problems caused the county to seek a new facility on land it already owned, said Marquette County Board of Commissioners Chairman Gerald Corkin. “For all the people that get lost in the woods or in trouble in the woods, the search and resuce is very valuable. It’s a big improvement for the search and rescue operations in Marquette County,” Corkin said. (Journal photo by Trinity Carey)