Westmoreland Athletic Club will close

Westmoreland Athletic Club has been put up for sale and will close on New Year's Eve after 20 years of business.

“I'm 68. I decided, a little belatedly, that I'd like to retire,” CEO Dennis L. Doyle said Friday.

Doyle purchased the Racquet Time building at 110 Sheraton Drive in 1995, when it only had racquetball courts, and converted it into a fitness center. He notified members of its pending closure in a post on the Hempfield club's website on Tuesday.

“It has certainly been a fun 20 years. But it is time to move on. The fitness industry has changed dramatically. What once was a business that prided itself on quality service has now become a commodity,” the post said. “When the lights go out on Dec. 31, 2015, at 1 p.m., the premises will not reopen for business.”

The two-acre, 21,000-square-foot property, on a hilltop above Route 30 near the Ramada Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center, is listed for sale with a commercial real estate agency. Doyle, who declined to divulge current membership, said the business's fitness equipment and computer system are also for sale.

“Some members have inquired about purchasing the site,” Doyle said.

Laurie Corbett, president of the Athletic Club and Galaxy Fitness, Doyle's other business, acknowledged that independent fitness centers are finding it tough to compete in a market that is trending toward operation by national chains. The Planet Fitness chain, for instance, with locations in Hempfield, Latrobe and North Huntingdon, offers basic memberships as low as $10 a month.“The population in Greensburg is not growing. Every time another place comes in, that cuts the piece of the pie smaller,” Corbett said. “What we find is that people who are into fitness belong to multiple locations because the pricing has been driven down so much.”

Doyle was philosophical about what he called a “pretty recent” influx of area gyms.

“You have to adjust. Competition keeps you sharp. We were able to survive,” he said.

Galaxy Fitness Club, which leases space in Excela Square at Norwin, will remain open.

Some Athletic Club members and employees — many of whom work part-time — may transition to that site, Doyle said.

On its website, the Athletic Club advises members who paid beyond December that they will receive refunds for remaining months or can receive personal training sessions.

Mary Pickels is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com.