Community members, dignitaries and Department of Natural Resources employees gathered last Friday on Tillicum Lane for the dedication and ribbon cutting for the 7,000-square-foot building that replaces a similar structure that was lost in a fire in January 2013.

The new structure will house:

• Auto shop service area (five work bays, tools and supplies) supporting multiple programs, including fire response (fire engines)

• General equipment repair and construction — small motors, pumps, recreation signage, etc.

• IT support and equipment storage

• Warehouse for region supplies

• Radio communication support and repair

There will be seven employees working out of the building.

After the ribbon cutting, tours of the building were offered.

The region has 110 employees (permanent year-round). About 80 percent are based in the Forks area.

Programs managed by the DNR in Forks include:

Timber sales (including stand management), roads maintenance, engineering, surveying, science and wildlife, Olympic Experimental State Forest, recreation, land use/leasing, rights of way and road use permits, specialized forest products permits, fire prevention and suppression, forest practices (sometimes referred to as cutting permits), Olympic Camp inmate forestry crews. Additionally, DNR has staff that operationally support all programs/staff. The new building is a vital component to having an efficient and productive organization.