Landlord: World Gym Owner Behind in Rent but Wasn't Forced to Close

The owner of World Gym is behind in paying his rent, but he was not forced to close his doors, building owner Joe Ardovich said.

In fact, Ardovich was as surprised as anyone when a sign went up late last week informing members that the fitness center was "temporarily" closed and that their memberships would be honored at the World Gym in Montgomery, which is 10 miles away.

"I don't understand why he's doing this," Ardovich said of Jim Mecha, owner of the Plainfield World Gym. "I know his club is doing fantastic. It's always busy. It's in a great location."

It's so appealing, in fact, that Ardovich has already had calls from people interested in taking over the 12337 S. Route 59 storefront and opening their own gym, he said.

Given that Mecha is several months behind on his rent, owes Ardovich for other expenses and cannot be reached by phone, the process of reclaiming possession of the space and leasing it to a new gym owner may only take a month or two, Ardovich said.

And when he does that, he said, his goal will be to cut a deal so that people who are currently members of Plainfield's World Gym will be allowed to transfer their memberships to the new gym without additional cost.

Plainfield Patch could not reach Mecha for comment. His phone number has been disconnected and employees at his gym in Montgomery say they don't know how to reach him.

Ardovich said he wasn't sure what Mecha's game plan is other than to perhaps pocket membership money and skip out on months of rent. He declined to say how much money Mecha owes in rent or how many months he is in arrears.

"It's not like he's locked out. He still has the key," Ardovich said. "The dispute we have is he doesn't want to pay his rent."

Whomever ends up taking over the fitness center will get a fairly large space -- 8,000 square feet -- and showers, an uncommon amenity in gym facilities that offer only exercise equipment, he said.

"I'm just going to sit tight and as soon as I can take possession, we'll get someone else in there," Ardovich said. "We will get another gym in there."