It has been confirmed that the appeal filed against the municipality in their decision to deny the application of “Easy Fitness With Jeannie” has been dropped by business owner Regina ‘Jeannie’ Mendes-Doman.
Citing the as the reason behind her decision, Ms. Doman stated she is doing well in Union Township, where she is now located.
Last year, Easy Fitness With Jeannie became the only business to have its Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) revoked for being a gym almost a year after being approved by the Construction office. The ensuing battle to close the business, which was located at 293 West Clay Avenue, involved a member of the Roselle Park Municipal Land Use Board (MLUB) who started a petition to close Easy Fitness With Jeannie; the former mayor, Joseph DeIorio; his mother, Gilda DeIorio, who owns a business next to Easy Fitness With Jeannie; Chris Tucci, Mrs. DeIorio’s boyfriend and a former Roselle Park police officer; and Warren Weilgus, the former Police Chief of Roselle Park. It continued when, after the C.O. was revoked, Jeannie tried to find a location in town to hold classes until she found a permanent site. Finding a place, she was notified the day classes were to start that an anonymous phone call was made to the location proprietor threatening to ’cause trouble with the town’ for them if they helped Ms. Doman. This worried the establishment enough to ask Jeannie if she could not use their location. Understandably, she agreed, not wanting others to have to go through the similar issues she has had to face.
In April of this year, the MLUB denied an interpretation that Easy Fitness With Jeannie was not a gym as well as denied a variance application to continue functioning at its location on West Clay Avenue.
This year the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), following up on an anonymous complaint that an illegal gym was being run on the property, cited that Easy Fitness With Jeannie did not meet the criteria of a fitness center.
In speaking with Ms. Doman, she stated, “I really miss being in Roselle Park. Maybe one day I’ll be back.”