The Pella City Council will discuss the current status of the Pella Indoor Rec Center and how it fits into the long-term facility plan at their meeting Tuesday.

No formal action is scheduled during policy and planning, but the bulk of the session will focus on a review the schematic design for the proposed indoor recreation center, drawn by Shive Hattery. Based on the initial plan, the cost will top out at $43 million for construction, engineering, and furnishing of the facility if all alternates are included, and a base plan with two gymnasiums is closer to $37.5 million. According to the memo to council, city administration and Shive Hattery will meet to discuss other alternatives that could be included to give more flexibility if funding doesn’t reach the top end of the goals.

The timeline for the rec center project is funding dependent — and currently, the City of Pella is committed to $22 million in funding, $17 million from the 20-year extension of the Local Option Sales and Services Tax approved in 2022, and $5 million from cash on hand. Mayor Don DeWaard has stated a goal of substantial completion in 2025, which would require bids to go out late this summer or early fall.

Prior to the schematic review, the Pella City Council will discuss the overall long-term facilities plan. In total, the rec center, renovations to the Pella Community Center ($5.5 million), related infrastructure with the extension of University Street (now $7.62 million), and the contingency total between $53 and $58.7 million dollars. Private fundraising has generated $13.1 million so far, which brings the city’s current total on hand or pledged to $35 million, meaning approximately $20 million remains to be raised to complete all projects in their entirety. Mayor DeWaard asked the Pella Community School District for $5 million, and has remaining requests with the Marion County Board of Supervisors, State of Iowa, and other private donors.

Council will also give initial review to engineering services agreements for University Street and Baseline Drive extensions and sanitary sewer improvements, all related to the rec center.

Click here to read all of the documents given to the Pella City Council ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Pella Public Safety Complex and can be heard online here.