Here’s what Illinois has paid — and will pay — at former Lindenwood-Belleville campus

Lexi Cortes
·4 min read
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The city of Belleville was reimbursed by the state of Illinois for the money it spent to purchase the former Lindenwood University-Belleville, and the campus is expected to continue receiving funding, according to state officials.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, metro-east lawmakers and city leaders discussed tenants and funding for the 35-acre property at a news conference Monday afternoon.

They also announced that the campus will be called the Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Campus because its tenants include law enforcement and education institutions.

The campus, at 2300 W. Main St., was built in 1916 as the original Belleville Township High School. Lindenwood University bought the property from the city in 2003 for $1. The city of Belleville bought it back last year for $3 million, which Mayor Patty Gregory has said eventually would be covered by a state grant.

Pritzker said Monday the $3 million grant came from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Before the news conference, state and local officials repeatedly declined to provide details or verification about the grant to the Belleville News-Democrat.

Southwestern Illinois College now manages the buildings, grounds, tenants and activities under an agreement with Belleville. But the city remains responsible for some building upkeep, including costs related to heating and air conditioning units, plumbing, electrical and parking lots.

The state allocated $5.9 million for 2022-23 so SWIC could get the vacant buildings up to code and pay for the first year of operations. When the BND asked about costs to the city during the news conference, Gregory deferred to the governor, who said state grants or other funding would be available to help.

State Rep. Jay Hoffman added that Illinois officials would continue to work to get state funding budgeted for the campus.

“Because of the hard work of the governor and the Community College Board, as well as the legislature, we were able to get into this year’s budget, in the Community College Board budget, money that is sufficient for operations here, and we’ll continue to have that in the budget,” Hoffman said. “It’s not unprecedented. It’s similar to what we have done through the Community College Board on the (Southern Illinois University) East St. Louis campus.

“So there will be no cost to the city. The money will be coming from the Community College Board and from state funds.”

The former Belleville West high school and Lindenwood University campus at 2300 West Main is owned by the city of Belleville.
The former Belleville West high school and Lindenwood University campus at 2300 West Main is owned by the city of Belleville.

Justice and workforce development campus tenants

These are the groups already using the Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Campus or planning to move in:

  • City of Belleville departments of Health, Housing and Building, Code Enforcement and Engineering and Economic Development have offices in the complex.

  • Southwestern Illinois College’s police academy will use classrooms, offices and dorms. The inaugural class in fall 2022 will house 125 to 130 cadets on campus, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The governor also stated that SWIC plans to move other criminal justice programs to the campus in the future as capacity increases. SWIC is not required to pay rent like other tenants under its 10-year intergovernmental agreement with the city.

  • Illinois State Police, in partnership with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, will use 4,416 square feet of classroom and laboratory space for its Illinois State Police Forensic Science Institute to train forensic scientists and criminal investigators. Under a five-year intergovernmental agreement, rent will cost $68,000 the first year with a 2% increase each subsequent year. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said during Monday’s news conference that the agency had shelved plans for an institute for about 20 years before the campus space became available.

  • Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission wants to use 1,650 square feet of classroom and office space to provide continuing education for police officers from seven counties. Its lease with the city costs $25,000 a year for 10 years. It paid all $250,000 up front using a grant from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

  • Southwestern Illinois Jets Basketball Club uses two gymnasiums, offices and a locker room. Its rent is $75,000 the first year with an 1% increase each subsequent year under a five-year lease. The agreement is non-exclusive, which means the city can also rent the gyms out for other athletic events.

  • Southern Illinois University School of Law will use office space and a classroom for its Metro East Criminal Justice Experiential Learning Program. It is a pilot program launching this month, according to the governor’s statement. The governor further stated that SIU is planning to invest $3.5 million in the pilot program this year, with class sizes increasing in the future.

The campus includes numerous buildings with classrooms and offices, two residence halls, and recreational facilities, including a 900-seat auditorium and athletic fields, SWIC President Nick Mance said at the news conference.

“In late 2019, we started putting together a team of people. We would meet 20-25 people in a room — the city, Southwestern Illinois College, SIU, state representatives, senators — and tried to get a vision for this campus,” Mance said. “... These are the institutions that have committed to the operation already, and we expect more.”