(Rolling Prairie, IN) - Groundbreaking has occurred for the first ambulance base at Rolling Prairie.

Officials say the project has been years in the making to provide better response times to an area now served by ambulances coming from the City of La Porte.

“Saving lives and getting help to our citizens more quickly when minutes make a difference makes this EMS base project very important,” said Sheila Matias, President of the La Porte County Board of Commissioners.

Commissioner Rich Mrozinski said shovels hitting the ground last week represented the outcome of longstanding efforts to make the ambulance base reality.

“This is a great day for the citizens of Rolling Prairie and eastern La Porte County, and I couldn’t be prouder of what our team has done to get this project ready to execute. We have truly moved the needle today by making this project happen,” Mrozinski said.

A new La Porte County Highway garage serving that area is also going up at the same site in the area of U.S. 20 and Indiana 2. The land once serving as a rest stop was donated by the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Total construction costs came in at about $2.3 million.