When voters went to the polls in November 2021 to vote on a bond issue for the Pella Community School District during the city and school election, they did so at a time when interest rates were low and before inflation dominated day-to-day lives and headlines.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling says with the cost of almost everything up — especially in construction and in long-term bond-issued loans, the district’s architects Neumann Monson have had to work hard to keep all projects under budget.

Ebeling says they’ve been able to do so with the initial projects included and those being worked on this summer, but the challenges will remain if bids come in high this fall for the Early Childhood Center and next year on the Jefferson Intermediate and Middle School connector.

Currently, estimates indicate the total cost of projects related to the November 2021 bond issue is close to $53 million, with escalation due to inflation factored in — and that would still mean all major projects discussed last fall remain mostly on schedule for completion and on the agenda for the Pella School Board to consider.