Basketball club finds new home at old Belleville West gym. Other clubs can rent it too.
Details are emerging on what the city of Belleville plans to do with sports and recreation facilities on the former Lindenwood University campus, now known as Belleville Educational Complex.
City officials entered into a five-year, non-exclusive facility use agreement with the Southwestern Illinois Jets Basketball Club in February. The organization is renting two gymnasiums, a locker room and an athletic office at a starting rate of $73,522 a year with annual increases and an option to renew for another five years.
The Jets staff also will manage the gyms, renting them out to other organizations and scheduling time for Belleville Parks and Recreation programs as needed.
“They’ll collaborate with the city on scheduling,” said city attorney Garrett Hoerner. “If for some reason, the city needed it at a specific date or time, they would just make that part of the scheduling. Obviously, the Jets organization isn’t going to need the facility 24/7.”
Activities of the Jets and other organizations could include basketball or volleyball games, practices and tournaments and other programs with “youth-related educational purposes,” according to the agreement.
Rental income would be split between the Jets and the city.
“We’ve got a few teams that are already renting out spots between an hour and an hour and a half,” said Jets Director Andre McMurray.
The gyms have been used for Belleville youth basketball programs and by Rush Academy, an athletic training business in O’Fallon. The Jets are also in talks with a volleyball league.
Rental fees vary
Rental fees for the former Lindenwood gyms vary, depending on type of activities, length of time slots, frequency, duration and other circumstances.
“We’d like to keep it at a little more economical amount than what is charged at other facilities,” said McMurray, noting gym-rental rates average $50 an hour at area high schools.
Under the city agreement, the Jets can rent other rooms in the complex for $100 a day and use existing training and fitness equipment such as basketball shooting machines.
The organization must pay for any damages beyond normal wear and tear.
“The Club shall be permitted to hang banners, install Club logos and other signage in and about the Property (including on the gym floors and walks) marking the same as the home court of the Club,” the agreement states.
One of four tenants
The massive brick complex on West Main Street housed Belleville Township High School and later Belleville West before it served as a satellite campus of Missouri-based Lindenwood University from 2003 to 2020. The city bought it for $3 million last year.
Belleville City Council held a special meeting on Feb. 28 to approve the Jets facility use agreement and three other agreements with new tenants, including:
- An intergovernmental agreement with Southwestern Illinois College, providing free space for programs that SWIC might want to move from other campuses in exchange for custodial, grounds-keeping and other management services.
- A lease agreement allowing the Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission to rent 1,650 square feet of classroom and office space at rate of $25,000 a year for 10 years to expand continuing education for police officers.
- An intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Police to rent 4,116 square feet of classroom, office and laboratory space for five years at a starting rate of $68,000 a year to establish a forensic science institute.
SWIC President Nick Mance and other officials stated at the Belleville City Council meeting that the college plans to move its Southwestern Illinois Police Academy to the former Lindenwood campus, but the intergovernmental agreement doesn’t mention any specific programs.
Traveling teams
The Southwestern Illinois Jets Basketball Club is a private, nonprofit organization that trains high school players and takes teams all over the country to compete in showcase games and tournaments.
“The idea is to either get the attention of college coaches or just better your game for your high school season,” McMurray said.
Jets President Steve Lanter spoke for the organization at the Belleville City Council meeting. He lives in Clayton, Missouri, but he grew up in Mascoutah and played basketball at University of Illinois in the 1970s before starting his business, Lanter Delivery Systems in St. Louis.
Last year, Lanter donated $2.5 million to U of I’s expansion and renovation of Ubben Basketball Complex.
Lanter founded the Jets when his now 33-year-old son was in fourth grade. The organization formerly offered grade school programs but later switched to working mainly with high school players.
“We want to help these kids get scholarships and get their college paid for,” Lanter said. “A lot of them wouldn’t be able to afford to go to college otherwise.”
There are now six Jets teams with about 60 players.
The organization has held fundraisers and received donations from people in the community, but Lanter remains its primary benefactor. It’s his way of giving back to a sport that helped him develop teamwork and leadership skills when he was young.
No longer ‘homeless’
Lanter is only half joking when he says the Jets organization has been largely “homeless” for the past 23 years. Coaches held practices whenever and wherever they could find space at schools and community centers. They hauled around equipment, uniforms and paperwork.
All that changed this spring with the Belleville Educational Complex facility use agreement.
Now Lanter is making big plans. He would like to expand the number of Jets high school players and traveling teams and offer advanced basketball skills training to boys of all ages.
Lanter also wants to add social, spiritual and academic services, such as guidance from volunteer ministers and tutoring for ACT tests, to help youths become productive, well-rounded members of the community.
“We’re looking to ramp this up to the next level,” he said.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
