All gym club members received a notice in the mail that there would be a $25 improvement fee automatically drafted from member accounts. Rick Quinn, chief executive officer at Capital Fitness, said the fee is to cover rising energy bills and club upgrades.
"Our energy bills have gone up from $11,000 to $30,000 a month," he said.
Some members cannot understand why growth cannot pay for itself.
"They have a contract, which is binding. They say for a certain fee for a certain duration, we're not going to raise it," said gym member Lissy Quinlan.
"They have twice as many people in the gym now than when I joined, so it seems they've driven up membership. Now, they're asking for extra money on top of that," said one gym member.
Officials with Capital Fitness are set to meet with the state Attorney General's office later on Tuesday. The state Attorney General's Office is looking into the legality of the matter. Until then, the automatic bank drafts are on hold.
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