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3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,F ebruary 6,2020 insidehalton.com GreatWine List • 17 Beers onTap Great NewMenu • Multiple TV's INFO@THESTOUTMONK.COM THESTOUTMONK.COM 478 Dundas St.W., Oakville • (905) 257-4004 • www.thestoutmonk.com Follow us @thestoutmonk: Snuggle upwith your special someone in our newly renovated pub. Enjoy the Elvis Room or the Ratpack Lounge as you unwind and spend time falling in love all over again Start with French Onion Soup and end your date with Creme Brulle. OurMenu is new, our wine list will impress andwe invite you tomake your reservation today! Join us for Valentine'sDay! Reserve your table today. sDay!sDay!ValentineValentine We have a Family Friendly Menu so bring the gang and enjoy our Famous Nachos and our JumboWings! The operator of a long- time Oakville exercise club that was unexpectedly closed says she's working to ensure members, particu- larly those who recently re- newed their memberships, are treated fairly. On Saturday, Jan. 25 members arrived at Nation- al Fitness, 474 Iroquois Shore Rd., to find the doors locked and a sign on the door from Bailiff Solutions Inc. The sign notes that the business's tenancy has been terminated. The notice, which was delivered on behalf of the landlord, National Rac- quets Club Inc., alleges a monetary breach of $50,335 was the reason behind the closure. Oakville National Fit- ness general manager Elda Waters said the club is notWaters said the club is notW the one that locked the doors. "We had been trying to negotiate a better rental ar- rangement with the land- lord so that we could keep our heads above water ... We were going back andWe were going back andW forth with the settlementforth with the settlementf negotiations throughout January. The settlement just wasn't going as well as we were hoping and then, early Saturday morning, they just locked the doors on us," she said. National Racquets Club Inc. partner Tage Singh said there had been ongo- ing issues with National Fitness defaulting on its rent. He said a lower rent was negotiated, but with the ca- veat that if there was anoth- er default National Fitness could be closed and locked up immediately without no- tice. "After one month, it was back to the same old thing where rent was not paid on time," said Singh. News of the closure was not well received by some members who spoke with the Oakville Beaver. One woman who attend- ed the club said she had paid $300 for a year-long membership just two weeks ago. She questioned wheth- er the club should have been taking new member- ships if it was struggling. "I'm sure this has been something they knew about for a while," she said.for a while," she said.f Another woman said that a week ago she paid $300 to enrol her children in the gym's spring swim pro- gram. "I tried to call, but didn't get any answer," she said. "I want to see if they have an- other place, but I'm not pay- ing again." Waters said she alertedWaters said she alertedW her members by email Jan. 26 that the club -- part of the community since 1977 -- had been closed. "We have done every- thing we possibly could to try to keep this club opera- tion viable and running," the email reads. "Unfortunately, with the ever-increasing overhead and expenses required to keep the club running prop- erly, the financial viability of the operation is not there." Waters said National Fit-Waters said National Fit-W ness' creditors have final- ized arrangements with an- other club for members to attend. Those arrange- ments have been worked out with Waters Edge Fit- ness at 11 Lakeshore Rd. W. so that National Fitness members, whose member- ships have yet to expire, will receive time credits at Wa- ters Edge Fitness based on that club's rates. Guy McMurray, who at- tended National Fitness for 30 years and is now at Wa- ters Edge Fitness, says the transition worked out well for him.for him.f "I didn't lose any money," he said. "This new place has met all my needs for a gym." Members are encour- aged to email Waters at el- da@oakvillenationalfit- ness.com for more informa- tion. While transferring to a new facility is an option, Waters said some membersWaters said some membersW are opting to cancel their membership. "Each scenar- io is being treated on an in- dividual basis. Some people might have two months left on their membership, some people might have six months left, some people might want to go to a differ- ent location, some people might not. Some people have personal training ses- sions, so we are doing our best to honour personal training programs as well ... Ultimately, at the end of the day, we don't want any- body to lose anything that they purchased," she said. Waters said she has beenWaters said she has beenW inundated with emails since the closure but tries to get back to members within 24 to 48 hours. MEMBERS UPSET AS LONGTIME FITNESS CLUB SHUTS DOWN DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS GENERAL MANAGER SAYS SHE IS WORKING TO ENSURE MEMBERS GET WHAT THEY PURCHASED SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM