With all repairs and maintenance being handled by a new property owner, Club South owner Lance Owens now can concentrate on what he came to do: FOCUS

By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BOARDMAN — The building it occupies is changing hands, but Club South is not closing.

John Giannios, owner of Giannios Candy in Struthers, bought the property and is planning improvements.

Lance Owens, club owner, said he will continue to rent the building as he has been doing since he bought the fitness business in 2005. Danrich Investments used to own the building and the business.

Members are concerned that the property sale means the fitness club is closing, Owens said. Instead, he sees the sale is a positive for the club.

The building roof and parking lot both need work, Owens said. But trying to maintain the building and build the fitness business at the same time is overwhelming.

“It’s needed some work for a long time,” Giannios agreed.

Giannios plans to repair the roof and parking lot first, and then evaluate the interior of the building to see what else needs to be renovated.

Now that he can stop spending money and time on fixing air conditioning, stopping roof leaks and paving parking lots, Owens said he can concentrate on what he came to Club South to do.

“That’s creating fitness programs, creating healthy lifestyle habits and promoting that in the community,” he said.

Giannios bought the property for $457,000, plus costs, at a sheriff sale Oct. 2. He expects the additional costs to total around $25,000. Danrich Investments had owned the 7120 Tiffany Blvd. property since 1984.

Giannios also owns the skating rink next door.

“I thought it was a pretty decent investment that I could put some money into and it’d be a nice piece of property to own,” he said.

Together, the parcels total four acres, Giannios said.

When Owens bought Club South, he also owned and operated Extreme Fitness and Personal Training in Boardman. Trying to balance the two rapidly became too much for him and he chose to close Extreme Fitness.

“I felt, and still feel, Club South is the better opportunity and provides the best impact for the community,” he said. “It’s been here for 25 years. It has a greater range of activities.”

In January, Owens closed the pool at Club South. Membership did drop, he acknowledged, but it’s growing steadily again. There are 3,000 members.

In place of the pool, Owens has installed a 3,500-square-foot fitness center. He also added an additional free weight area and reinstalled the basketball hoop.

He closed the pool for financial reasons because Club South could not compete with the aquatics program at the Davis Family YMCA in Boardman. Owens added, however, that the Club South aquatics program, with its recreational focus, was not in line with the health and fitness program he wants to concentrate on.

The program includes a fitness evaluation, a personal training session, a workout and a nutritional consultation every three months. A full access membership costs $32 a month.

Club South has three full-time and 12 part-time staff members, as well as 15 contract instructors.