By Sam Parsons

The Pella City Council held a regular meeting last night and formally approved the next steps to build a new indoor recreation center. The rec center has been in the works for several years, and it is set to be built on the north side of the Pella Sports Park. The facility is expected to feature four gymnasiums, a recreational swimming pool, a competition swimming pool, an indoor walking track, and exercise equipment.

The council approved a 28E agreement with Pella Rec for financing the project, which has a budget of about $35.1 million. The city is footing the bill for approximately $19.1 million of those dollars, while the rest of the funding will be contributed by Pella Rec, who raised nearly $17.5 million for the project. 

The council also approved a 28E agreement with the Pella Community School District for use of the rec center for an initial term of 10 years, as the district plans to form a high school swimming team when the project is completed. The school district will pay a total of $1 million over the 5 years spanning from 2028-2032 as part of the agreement.

Both agreements were approved unanimously by the council. Pella’s next regular city council meeting is scheduled for May 6.