Perth, Western Australia May 10, 2008 Home News Time Out Letters Write a Letter Special Coverage Walsham Classifieds Search Real Estate Trades & Services Submit About Contact Us Advertising Legal	Defiant gym punches back Not going anywhere: Steve Smith, with gym patrons in the chemotherapy program, from left, Cathy James, Margie Lamb and Fiona Beasley. Picture: Paul McGovern Aspire Fitness director Steve Smith says he takes the Claremont council with a grain of salt. Mr Smith was not surprised to hear the council rejected an application for the Claremont Football Club to extend its sub-lease with the popular gym, which operates at the Davies Road sports pavilion. "I have been here for 14 years, and initially it took the council nine years to organise my first lease," he said. "At the end of the day, the council doesn't mean anything to me. We won't close down, I still have four years to go and after that we will go in with the football club." At Tuesday's meeting, councillors voted not to extend the sub-lease for 10 years. The gym wanted to bring its lease in line with the football club until 2021. Councillor Rick Camins said extending the lease in view of planning for the north-east precinct, which included redevelopment around Claremont Oval, would be a bad move. "To enter into a long-term agreement with a party that will be an inherent part of this development would be bad business policy," he said. Councillor Anita Lorenz shook her head at the decision, asking fellow councillors if they had read the clause that allowed the council to terminate the lease three months before any redevelopment. Mr Smith said he was keen to keep the business in Claremont and be a part of the redevelopment. "I'd love to stay here, having been here for 14 years," he said. "We have 650 members and I have been running a chemotherapy fitness program at my own cost. "The council is not there for the actual community. In the end, the state government will have control." Football club CEO Todd Shimmon said the club supported the sub-lease extension. In a submission to the council, he said: "Aspire Fitness has been an excellent tenant at this facility for 14 years and they have waited patiently to be involved in the north-east precinct redevelopment around Claremont Oval."   -Fiona Ross-Edwards Do you have something to say? Write to us and we may publish your letter next week. BACK TO TOP < PREVIOUS - HOME - NEXT> Copyright © 1999 - 2008 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.