Storage space is tight for the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo asked the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday whether he should continue to pursue options to construct a new evidence storage building.

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"Is this something I should still be looking to budget?" Van Otterloo asked. "I'm just looking for some direction."

Discussions concerning construction of a new 40-by-60 square foot evidence building started in 2006.

Since then supervisors have shelved the project because of high estimated construction costs.

In 2006 a proposed steel frame building was estimated to cost $91,000. In 2007 that price increased to $150,000 because of additional amenities like office space.

"It got bigger and fancier," Supervisor Craig Anderson said Tuesday.

The building is needed, Van Otterloo said, to store items he currently has in other places around the City of Le Mars such as diving equipment and vehicles along with evidence.

"I'm know I'm out of space," Van Otterloo said. "You know I'm out of space. I don't have any room for evidence should we have some."

Currently evidence is stored in a secure, remote location, but law enforcement does not have the same control it would have in a nearby facility, Anderson said.

Van Otterloo said there is $68,000 remaining in the budget and suggested the remainder of the cost could be paid with Local Option Sales Tax money.

The size and style of building could be changed to lower its cost, Van Otterloo said, but he would still like something that fit in well with the 5-year-old law enforcement center.

"I want something that will look pretty good," he said.

The supervisors indicated Tuesday they would be interested in hearing more about an evidence building if one could be built for a lower cost.

"If you are willing to scale it back, I'm willing to talk about it," Supervisor Don Kass said.

Anderson said he will meet with Van Otterloo to look at proposed plans and costs.

In addition to discussing a proposed evidence building, supervisors also approved three pieces of law enforcement equipment as surplus.

Those included a 1975 Chevy dive team truck, which has been replaced with one gifted from the Le Mars Fire Department.

Van Otterloo said his intent is to give the old truck to another public entity.

The other two items included a 1950 yellow 16-foot diver's boat that has never been used and the homemade trailer used to carry it.

With the supervisors' approval, Van Otterloo said he will advertise the boat and trailer and request sealed bids. Any money received from the sale of those two items will be put back into the law enforcement's general fund.

"I don't have any room to put this stuff," he said.