Daphne Search and Rescue will have a new home soon.

Daphne City Council approved two resolutions during their meeting on Monday, July 20, to help build a new structure for the Search and Rescue team, with the city determining that the current structure is no longer needed for public or municipal services.

The group has been located at 616 Belrose Ave., just a stone's toss away from City Hall. The new building will put them adjacent to Fire Station No. 1 at 25250 Bailey Yelding Jr. Drive, which will be leased by the group and feature larger spaces for storage and offices.

The first resolution awarded the construction bid to Youngblood-Barrett Construction & Engineering, a contract worth $464,636, while the second resolution moved $328,003 from the city's General Fund to the Capital Reserve Fund to help cover the project. The total cost of the project is estimated at $527,468. According to documents, the city has sold the property at Belrose Avenue and received net proceeds of $199,465, which is available to use for construction of the new building.

Daphne Search and Rescue, incorporated in 1976, is an all-volunteer nonprofit first responder group that responds to water search and rescue missions across around 300 square miles of waterways, including the northern half of Mobile Bay and the Five Rivers Delta area. The group also conducts land-based search and rescue services for Daphne and other surrounding areas.

"We feel it's important that we take care of them," Mayor Robin LeJeune told GCM. "Building them this new building, a facility they can put their equipment in out of the weather, maintain it better and have a place that they can call home that is right next door to our fire station, so maybe we can get some cross training and helping and that type of thing, so it's a win-win for the city."