Sale of Pride 1 down the tubes, Pride Group will rent

The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday withdrew their offer to sell the property to Pride Group for $300,000, after the company declined its terms.

The supervisors' initial offer was to sell the group home, 200 12th Ave. S.E., in Le Mars, for $300,000 at a 5 percent interest rate paid throughout 15 years with no down payment.

"Currently we rent it for $2,000 a month and when I read through their counter offer and did the math on it, it looks like they would like to buy it for $2,000 a month, which is what we're getting in rent," Supervisor Craig Anderson said.

He said he couldn't justify to county taxpayers selling the property for its rental price.

Anderson said he met with Mike Porter, CEO of Pride Group, who told Anderson that there had been a change in clientele and there was debate as to whether the organization would need Pride 1.

"There's been a couple of changes in the health care," Anderson said. "Just last week there was another facility that closed down and they (Pride Group) took some clients from there."

Porter did not attend Tuesday's meeting.

Anderson said Porter indicated Pride Group still wants to keep running Pride 1 at its current rental rate, if the counter offer to purchase at that rate is not accepted, as there is still a need for the group home.

"I understand their position," Anderson said. "They want to have that facility as cheap as they can and I can understand that, but if they want to buy it I have a problem with selling the county property at exactly the same rental cost. That doesn't make any sense."

Initially Porter had indicated there is $30,000 worth of repair work to be done between the roof and the bathrooms at Pride 1, which was also noted in the counter offer.

Supervisor Don Kass said he toured the facility with Anderson and Supervisor C. Gordon Greene and he found no immediate repair work needed on the roof.

"The bathrooms need work, which I think could probably be done for under $15,000," Kass said. "To me the roof will last another five years."

During his visit with Anderson, Porter said he was satisfied with the interest rate the supervisors offered but Porter's board of directors concluded it could rent Pride 1 cheaper than it could buy it.

Supervisor Chairman Jim Henrich said the $300,000 offer was a fair price.

Anderson said Porter agreed that was the case especially compared to construction costs for a similar 5,000-square-foot building like Pride 1.

The supervisors unanimously approved withdrawing the sale of property offer from the table and continue renting Pride 1 to Pride Group for $2,000 a month.