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Mayoral candidate faces PTC eviction

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A request to begin eviction proceedings has been filed against Peachtree City mayoral candidate Dar Thompson regarding his World Gym location in the Aberdeen shopping center.

Jim Royal, who owns the building, and operates Partners II Pizza in the same shopping center, said Monday afternoon that Thompson’s business was supposed to vacate the property Aug. 15 but did not do so.

Royal said he has signed a lease for the 17,000 square-foot building to another gym, and he now wants Thompson’s World Gym out by Sept. 15.

Thompson said he has a lease running through 2008, and he has not yet given Royal notice in writing that the business is ending the lease. Thompson said the lease calls for such notice to be filed 60 days before it can be terminated.

“Jim signed a lease with somebody else that he shouldn’t have ever signed,” Thompson said.

Thompson said Monday afternoon that his attorney is attempting to broker a resolution. A consent document in the case has been sent to all involved parties, but it had not yet been signed, Thompson said.

Royal said he doesn’t have anything in writing from Thompson regarding the lease termination, but he said Thompson told him that World Gym would be out by Aug. 15 after initially indicating he would vacate the premises in June. Royal said he was later told it couldn’t happen until Oct. 1.

“It’s just not good business,” Royal said.

Thompson said the reference to moving out in June was made last September, and he told Royal at the time that the date could change.

Thompson is in the process of moving this World Gym location to its new building on Commerce Drive in the Westpark Walk area. He also owns the World Gym on Ga. Highway 54 East just outside Peachtree City and another World Gym location in Fayetteville.

“I have never given him written documentation that I was going to be out of the building,” Thompson said.

According to the petition filed last week, Thompson was holding the premises over and beyond the term for which they were rented to him.

Royal is also seeking $5,538.46 a week in rent for each week after Aug. 16 that World Gym remains in the building. Royal said that the lease contains a clause that doubles the rent if World Gym overstays the period of its lease.

Thompson sent a check for rent for the full month of August, but Royal said it was returned to Thompson because it only should have covered up until Aug. 15.

Thompson added that he has never been late on one lease payment to Royal in seven years since he has owned the World Gym there.