Editor鈥檚 note: This story was originally published by the , a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.
BELLEVILLE 鈥� Debbie Thacker of O鈥橣allon had a wide choice of health clubs near her home but the one she decided to join about seven years ago was in Belleville.
Her choice was the Belleville Health and Sports Center operated by Memorial Hospital.
Thacker and hundreds of the members are fiercely loyal to the club and were upset when the hospital wanted to and sell it. But the club members to operate the center and Memorial Hospital agreed to lease them the building at 1001 S. 74th St. for $1 a month for over a year.
This past week, the club鈥檚 leaders had a ceremony to thank hospital officials for deciding to 鈥渟ell鈥� the center to them for the grand sum of $1.
Mike McManus said the hospital was pleased to make the donation, which included the building, land and all of the exercise equipment. The deed was transferred to the members on July 31.
鈥淲e all stayed together, we all hung together, us and them,鈥� McManus said of the talks hospital officials had with the fitness center leaders.
鈥淲hen they really figured out that yes, this can be viable, we can make it work, we were happy to donate the assets.鈥�
Memorial Hospital officials 鈥渁gonized鈥� over the decision to sell the center for years but announced in 2019 that it wanted to sell the center because it was not part of their 鈥渃ore business as a hospital,鈥� McManus said.
鈥淭hese folks are very invested in it and invested in its success,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the way it should be.鈥�
Pat Mathis, a Belleville attorney and a member of the club鈥檚 board of directors, said the members could not have continued to operate the club without Memorial Hospital鈥檚 assistance with the subsidized lease and subsequent building donation.
鈥淲e knew early on that we could never afford to buy the building,鈥� Mathis said.
But when he got the message that Memorial Hospital would donate the site 鈥渨e were elated,鈥� Mathis said with a laugh.
鈥淚 think I called Marsha (Hohe) first and said, 鈥榊ou won鈥檛 believe it but the hospital agreed to give us the building,鈥欌�� he said.
Hohe is the club鈥檚 manager and only full-time employee. The center also has 28 part-time employees.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e stronger now than we鈥檝e ever been,鈥� said Hohe, who first briefly worked at the center when she was a teenager. She returned to the club about 20 years ago as an instructor and personal trainer and then was hired in June to be the manager.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about this place,鈥� she said.
Sense of community
For members like Thacker, the club is more than just a good place to workout.
鈥淚 love the camaraderie. That鈥檚 what was hard about us closing. ... It鈥檚 not just a gym, a place to workout, because there鈥檚 lots of those,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we know each other here and we know each other by name and we support each other and encourage each other and it鈥檚 a feeling of community.鈥�
Mathis echoed Thacker鈥檚 thoughts.
鈥淲e always kind of perceive this as kind of a community center with a health aspect to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he club is important for the members and the club is important for the west end Belleville community.
鈥淚f it closed, a lot of members would suffer, not just physical health but social health and mental health and psychological health.鈥�
Health club鈥檚 outlook
Mathis said Memorial Hospital paid the utilities, taxes and repairs while the club members rented the building but now the members are responsible for those costs.
The group plans to build a reserve fund for building repairs such as when the roof needs to be fixed or the air conditioning system breaks down. Donations to the club have ranged from $10 to $5,000 and a load of sanitizing wipes from the Signal Hill Fire Department.
Future programming possibilities at the club may include new support groups as well as coordinating with Memorial Hospital for patients in rehab.
Barbara Bahr of Belleville joined the club 15 years ago and she鈥檚 one of the seven members on the board of directors.
Bahr enjoys the 鈥渘ice atmosphere鈥� at the center and is looking for more people to join.
鈥淲e still got a ways to go,鈥� she said.Fitness center classes and members
The Belleville Health and Sports Center offers more than 50 classes each week in a wide variety of group exercises.
Cardio circuit, cycling, Pilates, yoga, Silver Sneakers, Rock Steady, judo, karate, tae kwon do, Zumba, tai chi and boxing conditioning are some of the classes offered.
The building first opened as a racquetball club and Memorial Hospital took it over in 1986.
You can still play racquetball at the center but the sport is not as popular as it was in the 1970s and 鈥�80s. Pickleball is now played at the club.
The center has a large room full of weight machines, another room with free weights and a cardio room that includes treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes and stair machines. One room is dedicated to Pilates training and another for yoga.
Hohe said the center has about 1,000 members. Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has hampered recruitment since older people are often concerned about the spread of the disease, Mathis said. Also, the club had to close for about three months last year because of the coronavirus guidelines.
Former members of the nearby are eligible for a free 30-day membership and Hohe said about 60 people have taken advantage of this offer.
A single membership costs $50 a month. Those 62 years old and up and first responders are charged $45. Most of the classes are included in this fee but there are some classes that charge extra.
You don鈥檛 have to be a member for yoga classes and massage therapy.
For more information, call the center at 618-398-2778 or check out or
Mike Koziatek is a reporter with the , a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.
