By Janessa Fillingim
Sports Academy and Planet Fitness in Logan are experiencing crowding after the closure of Gold’s Gym on Sept. 1.
According to the Health Spa Consumer Contracts for Health Spa Services law, if such a facility closes, the members are entitled to a full refund for the unused portion of their membership. To satisfy this refund without having to pay each member, the closing business can send their members to another facility within five miles of its previous location. That is exactly what the owner of Gold’s Gym did.
“They asked Sports Academy to service their members,” said Dan Smith, the gym manager at Sports Academy.
Smith said it has been a rough week for the Sports Academy members because they’re not accustomed to the big crowd.
“We have a different membership club,” Smith said. “We have a family.”
Cole Lewis, a Sports Academy member, said he understands why Gold’s Gym members are being serviced there.
“Sports Academy is the only gym comparable to what they had,” he said.
Rochelle Sever, a Sports Academy staff member, said she has had to deal with one or two rude Gold’s Gym members.
“I think they were just confused because they didn’t even know their gym was closing,” Sever said. “They’re just supposed to come to our gym now.”
Negotiations are underway for the building lease of the previous Gold’s Gym.
“There are things that I can’t comment on because they are still being negotiated but plans are in the working for the lease,” Smith said. “If we get it, we will gut the building and renovate it to be a Planet Fitness.”
Janessa Fillingim 