DAKOTA CITY — The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors purchased property for a future animal shelter at Monday’s meeting.

The county had been leasing a building located west of Humboldt at $100 a month from Denise Johnson for use as an animal shelter. Backers have been looking for a permanent location. The county needed something larger and there was a possibility the building being used might be sold to someone else.

On Monday, Supervisor David Lee said backers had found a location for the proposed shelter. It is located immediately north of the NEW Cooperative elevator in Humboldt along First Avenue North. The land is adjacent to the city limits of Dakota City and along the Three Rivers Trail. A house used to sit on the property and in recent years it had been used as a garden.

The price is $8,500 and the cost will be split equally with the city of Humboldt, Lee said.

“It is a difficult thing to locate because they want it close to town so it is accessible,” Supervisor Rick Pederson said. ”There will be a lot of volunteers that service it. They don’t want it too far out.”

The group has looked at numerous sites and this site was ideal because it is already zoned agricultural and solves the ownership problems.

“It was ideal,” said Bill Hansen, who spoke for the group.

Because there was a house there at one time the property already has access to water and sewer, he said.

“It is a ways from the neighbors, too,” Supervisor Carl Mattes said.

The county has control of the property to the south and there is a corn field around it, Hansen said.

The building is still being planned, Supervisor Erik Underberg said.

Donations are being sought for the building, Pedersen said.

“Tentatively we have an idea of what we want for a building,” Hansen said. ”It is not a large facility,1,500 square feet.”

“We have an animal control officer picking up animals and we are nervous about where to take them after we get them,” he said. ” She processed 200 animals in the past year. It is something that needs to be addressed. We have been working on it as hard and as fast as we can.”

The county had an agreement with the Almost Home shelter in Fort Dodge, but that shelter is full, Board Chairman Bruce Reimers said.

The board approved moving ahead with the purchase. Cost to the county is $4,250.