Summit County Rescue Group tears down old building to make room for new one
The old barn that housed Summit County Rescue Group is now half-standing, being torn down to make way for the new building, estimated to be completed in 2025.
"It served its purpose in the early days," Anna DeBattiste, public information officer for Summit County Rescue Group said. "The team was pretty excited about it back then, but we outgrew it a long time ago."
The team is one of the hardest-worked volunteer forces in Colorado when it comes to search and rescue. They received 193 calls in 2022 which they classify as "a lot," but working out of a building estimated to have been built in the 1960s. They do not fit in it anymore.
"We have been storing equipment outside in the weather, in the winter it gets snow-covered and frozen," DeBattiste said. "We have been borrowing a building from the fire department for our training because we don't fit in ours."
Now a new building is on the horizon.
"It has been in the works since 2015," DeBattiste said. "The county's master plan recommended that it be torn down and replaced. That's when discussion started and we have been working on it ever since."
The new plan includes additional space for things like public education, which they have not had before, and better storage for their equipment like ATVs and rescue vehicles. It will also include a climbing wall to help practice low- and high-angle rescues, something they've never had before. The only issue now is finishing the funding.
"The county said 'we will pay for most of the building, but can you raise $1.75 million total?' and we said 'What!? We can't raise that much money!' but here we are, two years later, and we are almost there."
That being said, the rescue group still needs to fundraise a bit more to get across the finish line.
"This is our 50th anniversary this year. We set a target to raise another $50,000 from now and when we break ground in the spring," DeBattiste said. "We are asking people to donate $50, or $500 or $5,000 depending on their ability."
If you are interested in helping the team get the dream across the finish line, click here.