Pella Mayor Don DeWaard has made an appeal to the public to drum up financial support for a proposed indoor recreation center that has been backed by the city leader for several years.

In this month’s City of Pella newsletter, DeWaard indicated that residents will have an opportunity to donate or make pledges sometime this fall as he attempts to address a funding shortfall before a December deadline agreed to by the Pella City Council in July.

DeWaard noted $15.5 million in pledges already made largely by businesses and major donors. During the July work session, city administration identified a multi-million dollar shortfall from current plans and what funding was available — which could be addressed through more fundraising, scaling down the project, or scrapping the effort altogether.

The mayor did not specify when the fundraising opportunity would open, but stated in the newsletter, “We want to give every member of the community the opportunity to support this exciting project so please stay tuned for more information about how you can be part of making this exciting project happen.”