The Pella City Council discussed three main options as it related to the future of the Pella Community Center at a special meeting Tuesday.
No formal action was taken, but City Administrator Mike Nardini says the council will decide at some point to either proceed to either renovate or expand the current location, or build a new facility, and determine if there is any combination of those plans and the level of services they’d like to see enhanced. Many members of the Friends of the Pella Community Center and Union Street Players advocated for preserving and enhancing the current space at the meeting prior to the council’s discussion.
The Pella Community Center is currently located at 712 Union Street and was originally constructed in 1915 as a school facility, and was converted to its current use in 1979 after the City of Pella acquired the building. However, many components in the building have not been updated since the last major renovation in 1980. The gymnasium in the current facility has been closed since the summer of 2018 due to falling ceiling tiles.
Hear more about the discussion on Let’s Talk Pella.
Three options were on the table for council to consider in the near future, including: construction of a new facility, which could cost up to $17 million but allow for additional recreation space and gymnasiums currently not possible at the Union Street location; a partnership with the Friends of the Pella Community Center, which would have the City of Pella finance approximately $11 million of proposed $15 million in improvements, which would aim to renovate and expand the current facility; or council could elect to focus on safety items and “need to update” projects that would not expand current uses at the site, which would cost closer to $4.3 million. All three plans would likely trigger a property tax increase through use of general obligation bonds.
From the City of Pella Council memo:
Option #1: $4.5 million renovation to the existing Community Center which would maintain existing service levels. For this option, the estimated property tax increase on a home that assesses at $200,000 would be approximately $49 per year.
Option #2: Enter into a partnership with the Friends of the Pella Community Center for a $15 million renovation/expansion of the Community Center. The City’s estimated share of this project would be approximately $11 million. For this option, the estimated property tax increase on a home that assesses at $200,000 would be approximately $120 per year.
Option #3: Build a new $17 million Community Center. Please note, this option does not include any additional costs for transitioning the existing Community Center to a new use. For this option, the estimated property tax increase on a home that assesses at $200,000 would be approximately $186 per year.”
Over the past two years, three major engineering studies evaluated the structure (from the Pella City Council memo):
“July 2019: Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) – $10.3 million
This was a high-level assessment performed by SEH as a part of the City’s long-term facility plan. The proposed renovation involved complete replacement of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Furthermore, most of the interior finishes of the facility were proposed to be replaced. The plan also involved accessibility enhancements along with additional restrooms. This plan could be viewed as a complete demolition and replacement of most of the non-structural components of the facility.
December 2020: Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. – $4.3 million
This assessment was a more detailed assessment of life safety items which would need to be replaced over the next 20 years. The assessment was also based on the assumption of maintaining current service levels in the facility. In summary, this assessment could be viewed as a plan to address the major items which would likely need to be replaced in the next 20 years.
September 2019: Schemmer – $14.2 million to $15 million (including engineering fees)
This engineering assessment was provided by the Friends of the Community Center. Similar to the 2019 assessment by SEH, it was intended to be a high-level assessment which involved replacement of most of the non-structural items in the current facility. The plan also involved significant accessibility enhancements along with a new 9,400 sq. ft. wing addition, which was intended to increase service levels.”