Planners of a new Pride Group campus didn’t get everything they were hoping for from the Plymouth County supervisors on Tuesday, but the county board did suggest a possible $24,000 grant and stated their willingness to help move forward on the project.

On behalf of Pride Group, Administrator Mike Porter asked two weeks ago for a $500,000 low-interest loan from the county and about $550,000 in donated property to help build a new $4 million campus just southeast of the Law Enforcement Center. The campus would include three 16-person facilities and eventually possibly a corporate center �" replacing the current 50-person building that sits just north of Highway 3 on the east edge of Le Mars.

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This Tuesday, Porter returned to the board to hear their decision.

Several board members expressed concern about simply donating the property �" Pride Group’s two group homes in Le Mars, especially since Pride Group currently rents those properties for about $100,000 a year in all.

“I want to make sure that we’re not giving away a source of funds that we absolutely don’t have a backup for,” Supervisor Craig Anderson said.

“I don’t want to slow things down, but on the other hand, I do have some responsibilities to other people . . . taxpayers,” Supervisor C. Gordon Greene noted.

The board suggested getting certified assessments of each piece of property to know exactly what they are worth before moving forward. They also discussed options like letting Pride Group use some of the property rent-free for some time so Pride Group could use that money to pay for design work.

Supervisor John Schneider suggested that the county offer a $24,000 Local Option Sales Tax grant rather than stop collecting rent. The board suggested $24,000 could be used to pay the architect for design work to get the project going.

Porter said he’d rather see the county give the properties to Pride Group than have to purchase them, because buying them would mean passing on more costs to Pride Group clients.

“We need to find a place in between where we can help you and also treat the taxpayer correctly,” Anderson said.

Several residents who live in the area of the proposed new building came to the Tuesday meeting and voiced their concerns about the location.

“We’re requesting that the facility not be built in this location �" it’s way too close,” said Kathleen Kipp, a spokeswoman for the group. “He needs to keep the facility where it’s at.”

The group presented a petition with signatures from 35 parents whose children attend Guardian Angel day care, which is located within 2,000 feet of the proposed site. At the last meeting, Porter noted that registered sex offenders would not be able to live at the new facility because of the 2,000-foot rule.

Supervisor Anderson asked Porter whether there were any other potential sites.

“There’s always that potential possibility of other property. Today, no,” Porter said. “We own this 17.7 acres and that was purposely purchased for that very thought. It’s a done deal.”

Ten acres of it, he said, are already zoned for the building of the new campus.

Anderson asked if it would be possible to revamp the current location of Pride Group’s 50-person facility, which sits on 4.8 acres.

Porter said it would be another option and he’d have to speak with his board.

He indicated that the concerns the residents presented shouldn’t be an issue at the new site.

“They (Pride Group residents) can leave today and walk down the street just as much as they can in the future,” Porter said.

The supervisors plan to resume their discussion on Pride Group and decide whether to offer a $24,000 LOST grant at their meeting next Tuesday.