The door of the fitness centre at the Penhold Regional Multiplex was locked on Tuesday 8, after the town was forced to take over the facility when the renters defaulted on their lease.
“The lessee went default on their lease which means it wasn’t current and the town decided they are taking it over, so they are running it at this stage,” said Penhold CAO Rick Binnendyk.
During the last town council meeting, council members made a motion determining that the lease was in fact default and then talked about other options.
The fitness centre will stay open while town administration researches other opportunities for the fitness area. One of the options may be adjusting the facility hours but no decisions have been made at this point.
“Council has committed to honouring the memberships and passes that have been purchased so public will continue to be able to use the facility,” said Binnendyk.
Binnendyk said that the town is still open to negotiations with the lessee but that they have not come forward with anything of substance as of yet. He is not sure why the lessee went default whether it was just numbers or not but said he cannot speak on their behalf.
Several attempts have been made to contact the lessee but was he unable to be reached at this time.
