Project of the Month: Acella Construction Corporation completes $2.2 million Big Blue Swim School project at the Loop in Methuen

Methuen, MA Acella Construction Corporation, a leader in construction management throughout greater Boston, recently completed work on Big Blue Swim School at 90 Pleasant Valley St., the first of the nation-wide swim school’s franchises in Mass. A ribbon-cutting was held to officially open the facility on April 28^th.

The $2.2-million-project involved the complete tear down of a Stop & Shop grocery store that formerly occupied the 10,000 s/f retail space.  This new location of Big Blue Swim School is located at the Loop, an approximately 338,470 s/f open air regional shopping center, featuring a diverse mix of soft goods, entertainment, restaurants, fitness, and service-oriented retailers and is the largest and most well-established shopping and dining destination in northern Mass. The Loop is owned by Lexington Realty International.

The Acella team installed a 29 x 91-foot heated pool graduating from three to four feet deep, complete with a state-of-the-art multiple-layer filtration system including the newest ultraviolet filtration technology to destroy organic pollutants and similar bacteria. The pool is encased in blue epoxy coating to prevent slipping. A butt glazed glass wall system was mounted to allow full view of students.

Ten showers were installed within the pool area as was sound baffling throughout the entire space. Featured project elements also include boys and girls bathrooms, two changing rooms with individual changing stalls, a separate preparation area/dry bar with six hair dryers, an equipment room, and custom seating and power stations for parents. A full CaptiveAire package was also installed, which allows for not only monitoring of temperature and humidity but also exceptional indoor air quality through an extensive filtration process that removes contaminants.

Big Blue Swim School Methuen is owned by Gary Cohen and Melissa Schorr, a Boston-area husband and wife team who feel passionately about swim safety and Big Blue’s mission to empower kids with the skills they need to be confident in the water.

Big Blue Swim School Methuen offers weekly, year-round 30 to 45-minute swim lessons for children beginning at just three months old and up to age 12, seven days a week. Level-appropriate, engaging lessons are led by professional instructors. Big Blue sets itself apart from other swim schools with 90-degree, ultra-clean water, a comfortable viewing area to keep an eye on swimmers; plenty of private changing rooms, fall-proof, anti-microbial flooring throughout the facility, free Wi-Fi, a Big Blue app for booking lessons and monitoring progress, and ample parking. 

“Big Blue Swim School was an exciting project to be a part of and is a great addition to the Loop,” said Ryan LaVangie, vice president of sales and marketing at Acella Construction Corporation. “We were proud to help fulfill their specific design features and are honored to support their focus on water safety and swimming skills.”

“Big Blue Swim School is also an impressive and unique addition to Acella’s retail portfolio,” LaVangie continued.