Moorhead, Mn — Officials at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, are still weighing their options after Moorhead Racquetball and Fitness Center, a for-profit club that operated in a building it leased from the college, closed last month.
Concordia College sought to evict club owner Kurt Ross, alleging he owed the college $27,000 in 10 months' worth of unpaid rent, according to The Forum of Fargo, ND. Ross reached an agreement last month with Concordia College during a hearing in court, an agreement that gave Ross until Aug. 26 to vacate the building, the newspaper reported. Concordia officials have not decided whether to pursue the unpaid rent, a college spokesperson told the newspaper.
Ross says in The Forum's report that the eviction complaint filed by Concordia included several inaccuracies, but he did not elaborate. He does, however, plan to return to court because he says the college did not live up to its agreement.
Members were sent a letter from the club's staff in July that stated “membership dues will be prorated and dealt with as quickly as possible.” Ross did not say how many members were affected, telling The Forum that he contracts with several marketing firms that handle memberships.
Concordia College purchased the building to serve as a student exercise facility in the 1980s, before the construction of the college's Olson Fitness Forum, the newspaper reported. In 1997, Concordia began leasing the building to All American Athletic Club, which closed in 2002, the same year Ross opened Moorhead Racquetball and Fitness Center there.