TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — The doors at Fieldhouse Gym's Temple location are closed after the owner failed to make rent, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and left employees without paychecks for weeks. As neighbors rally to get it reopened, the owner hopes to turn the Harker Heights location around.
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An eviction notice was posted on the door in May. The Harker Heights location remains the only one still open.
Christina Bills, who owned Fieldhouse Gym from 2018 until 2025, said the closure has hit employees hard since she sold it.
"Just hearing the frustration or the concern in their voice because they have bills that they have to pay and that they're still responsible for. Some of them are veterans that rely on this as a supplemental income and they're not receiving their paychecks," Bills said.
Bills reflected on what the gym meant to the community during her time as owner.
"Everyone becoming a family and being supportive of one another. I don't think there's anyone in here who didn't support somebody else in their goals. And so it gave you a good feeling. It meant so much to everyone," Bills said.
Shanna Cremean, a vendor who works with clients at the Harker Heights location, said the damage extends beyond the gym itself.
"There's already been so much damage that's been done," Cremean said. "Not only to the gym itself, but the community, the members, and also employees and trainers that actually work out of those facilities," Cremean said.
Cremean said she saw a hit to her business, with falling membership and rising costs.
"I think total, it was between 700 to 850 members that we've lost in the past year," Cremean said.
25 News spoke with current owner Timothy Koenitzer, who said he filed for bankruptcy to save the business and turn the Harker Heights facility around. Koenitzer said the Temple location did not have enough members to stay open and he made a mistake raising prices to keep up with the rent. He continued by saying he did not see bankruptcy as a possibility when he first bought the business.
Bills said she remains cautiously hopeful.
"I'm hopeful that we'll be able to keep the doors open in Heights and eventually open the Temple area back up. I'm just unsure of what's gonna happen, though," Bills said.
More hearings on the bankruptcy case are scheduled in July. Koenitzer said a sale of the Temple gym could be in its future. Employees were paid weeks after the normally scheduled pay date, due to the bankruptcy filings.
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