Pella council directs staff to seek bids for indoor rec center, street extension and community center renovation

Pella’s City Council on Monday authorized staff to seek construction bids for three linked elements of a long-term facilities plan: a proposed indoor recreation center at the P Sports Park, the University Street/Baseline Drive infrastructure extension, and renovations to the city’s Community Center.

The authorization to proceed to the bid phase is not a final commitment to build, council members emphasized; it gives staff permission to collect firm price estimates so elected officials can make informed choices later. City staff and Mayor Dart presented estimated budgets, expected private pledges and a proposed timeline during a detailed briefing before the vote.

City staff described a multi-tiered approach to bidding: a base plan with alternate bid items so the council can select which amenities to fund after bids arrive. The base-plan estimate for the recreation center ranges from about $32.7 million to $35.7 million, staff said; a mid-level option runs roughly $37.6–$41 million and a full build could reach $40.6–$44.5 million. Proposed amenities include a competition pool, indoor turf, two full-size basketball gymnasiums, a walking track and meeting spaces. Staff projected a target construction schedule beginning in summer 2025 with a facility opening in fall 2027 if the project proceeds.

Financing would combine city cash (staff cited roughly $17 million), a local option sales and services tax (LOSS) bond capacity of up to $17 million, and roughly $15.6 million of privately financed pledges that the city would accept via a partnership agreement. Staff said private pledges have already produced about $1.3 million in cash, and one corporate donor offered a $140,000 check to pay bid-phase costs so the city would not carry that line-item risk during bidding.

Staff presented similar timelines and budgets for the University Street extension and related infrastructure: estimated total infrastructure costs of about $6.7 million (including a HUD grant of about $1 million), with University Street pegged at roughly $4.8 million and Baseline Drive at about $1.1 million. The presentation noted potential water-main improvements to increase fire flow for southeast neighborhoods and suggested creating an urban renewal area to reduce debt-service levy impacts on residents.

Renovation of the Community Center was presented as a base renovation of roughly $6.7–$6.8 million with a southeast wing addition raising the total to about $8.5 million; the city would be asked to provide $5.5 million with approximately $3 million led by Friends of the Pella Community Center under a partnership agreement. Staff forecast the renovation would not increase the city’s current operating subsidy (about $365,000) because of projected insurance savings offsetting higher utility costs.

At the council dais, most members expressed support for moving to bid while reserving final judgment until bids provide actual numbers. Councilor Butler voiced fiscal caution, citing growth in operating deficits, water and utility needs, and a Ballard King study staff provided that noted the city’s primary service-area population would not, by itself, support a large recreation center without drawing users from a larger secondary area. Councilors and speakers from local organizations pressed for flexibility in the bid package so the council could prioritize gyms or pools depending on final costs and community priorities.

Mayor Dart and several councilors emphasized that a simple majority plus mayor concurrence would trigger staff to move forward: staff said they would only initiate construction bidding for projects that four council members and the mayor each supported for the bid phase. The council’s direction allows staff to prepare bid documents and return to the council with contract awards or decisions after bids are opened.

Next steps: staff will finalize partnership agreement terms, refine bid documents and bring bid results back to council for decisions and contract awards. The council’s authorization was limited to the bid phase; any actual contract awards or bond issuances will require separate council action.