Club South members locked out

The landlord said the
Boardman fitness center
had no liability insurance.

By DON SHILLING and DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS

BOARDMAN — Club South members arrived Wednesday expecting to work out but found a locked door and a sign telling them the club is closed because of a temporary restraining order.

Thomas Devlin tried to open the inside door of the Tiffany Boulevard health club about 2:30 p.m. for his regular workout.

“I checked my e-mail twice before I came, and they do e-mail when they want to sell me something,” he said.

But there was no word about the closure, Devlin said.

John Giannios, landlord for Club South, hopes the fitness center will reopen soon, with or without the current owner.

Giannios said he’s already speaking with others about operating the club, which was shut by court order Tuesday. The interest is high, said Giannios, also owns Giannios Candy in Struthers and Youngstown Skate, which is next to Club South.

The club operator, Lance Owens, also could reopen the business but would need liability insurance, Giannios said. Owens could not be reached to comment.

Giannios went to court Tuesday, saying that Owens didn’t have insurance. Without insurance, Giannios said he was responsible for any injuries.

Giannios received a temporary restraining order that prevents Owens from operating the business until a March 3 court hearing.

“I feel bad for all those members, but there’s nothing I can do,” Giannios said.

Giannios also has filed a lawsuit seeking $1.8 million from Owens for unpaid rent and other charges. The rent, which is $10,782 a month, and other charges date back to a lease Owens signed with a previous landlord in 2005, the lawsuit says.

Giannios took over ownership of the building Feb. 13 after buying it in a sheriff’s sale during a foreclosure procedure. The previous owner was Danrich Corp.

Tiffany’s, a bar located inside the Club South building, remains open. Giannios said the bar has different ownership and has insurance.

A sign on an inside door said the health club is moving to 7689 South Ave., the former McCrone’s Furniture building, next to Carano’s. It said the closure will be about 30 days. It will become Boardman Fitness.

“We need 50 people to help” with the move, the sign said. Volunteers who help move will get a lifetime complimentary membership.

The new facility won’t have a track or basketball or racketball areas.

Jack Sommerlad of Boardman, a member for about 20 years, wonders what the facility will have to offer members. He walks the track and plays racketball and isn’t sure he’ll continue his membership in the new facility.

Carol Coler of Poland has a temporary two-week pass that expires today, and she planned to join. She isn’t sure if she’ll follow the gym to its new location.

Sommerlad said he’s not really surprised. He said that in the men’s locker room area, only three or four of the 10 showers work and one of the toilets doesn’t flush.

The roof leaks, and when it rains, club operators set up buckets along the track to catch the water.

The flier says that a leaky roof, mildew and fried-food odor and broken beer bottles and cigarette butts also will be absent in the new location.

Devlin knew about the plans to relocate, but he said a sign that was up Tuesday afternoon stated the club was to remain open through 8 p.m. Friday and then reopen at the new location March 15.

The club’s Web site, boardmanfitness.com, says that the building is old and has been poorly maintained for many years. It calls the roof, parking lot and heating and ventilation, plumbing and electric systems antiquated.

“This causes very high maintenance and utility costs. In addition, the design of the building with its many rooms requires a very high payroll cost to secure, manage and maintain,” the site says.

It adds that the closing of the swimming pool in January 2007 was not well received and was misinterpreted as a malicious act against those members who used it.

“Gossip and misinformation spread through the community like wildfire, and our reputation suffered greatly, making it very hard to continue building our revenue stream,” the site says.

The gym made plans to move but the court action stopped that, it says.

“This action was taken by the new owners of the building as they believe we will harm the building during our departure,” it says. “This is a ‘temporary’ order and our attorney is working to modify this order. In the meantime, it is unfortunate for us all that we cannot conduct business or move in to our new location until this order is lifted or modified.”

It urges members to check the site for updates or to call the club.

shilling@vindy.com