A vacant Norridge building that was formerly a carpeting showroom has been transformed into a light-filled pool area. On March 12, following extensive renovation, Blue Gems Swim School opened in the space at 7510 W. Irving Park Road.
Thomas Wisnar and Iryna Auchynnikava, cofounders of the school, began renovations in November 2019. It was completed in March.
“The village was very good to work with,” Wisnar said. “This space had been vacant for a lot of years so I think the village wanted to see something here that would be good for the community.”
Norridge Building Commissioner Brian M. Gaseor said, “The couple bought that building and the one next door. They bought the whole piece of property.”
The project did not have to be reviewed by the Norridge Plan Commission. “They came here and talked about what they wanted to do with the school. It fit into the zoning for the area, so we approved it,” Gaseor explained. “Then, they had to come in with building permits that had to be reviewed.” He added that the couple also had to get a permit for the pool from the Department of Public Health.
In addition to getting approval from the Building Department, the owners’ plans had to be reviewed by an outside planner to make sure there was compliance with all the building codes, Gaseor reported. “The Fire Department checked it out also,” he said.
Wisnar, who is a founder of AP Construction, did the renovation work.
The name of the school is based on the fact that various levels of achievement in the swim school are based on different gems. In addition, Gems is an acronym for the school’s philosophy: Grow, Enjoy, Make a Difference, Shine.
Auchynnikava said she was a member of the Belarusian National Team in synchronized swimming for five years, winning four national championships. She also said she was a multiple finalist in European and World championships.
The long-time swimming instructor explained that she wanted to start a swim school because of the difficulty she had locating pools to rent for her swim lessons and synchronized swim classes.
“When I came to the U.S. in 2015, I started renting pools all over the place to do swim lessons as well as synchronized swimming lessons,” Auchynnikava said. “It was usually very inconvenient times that I was able to rent them. Then we decided to take a chance and we found this building.”
Wisnar noted that this was only the second location they visited when searching for a site for the swim school. The many windows and wood beams on the ceilings made the space a prime location for them. “We kind of envisioned it when we walked in,” Wisnar said.
Auchynnikava particularly liked the location because it was close to Chicago, where many of her students live.
Swim lessons are offered for ages 6 months and above. Auchynnikava emphasized that the school combines three schools of swimming—European, American and Australian.
“The majority of our audience is children from 3 years old to 14, but we also have a lot of parents and tot lessons,” Auchynnikava said. There are also lessons for teens. “We also have a very popular adult learn-to-swim program,” she added. In addition, they offer themed birthday parties.
Blue Gems Swim School has 20 employees, including lifeguards, swim instructors and aqua fitness instructors.
In terms of health and safety, Wisnar said, “Throughout the COVID pandemic, we put a lot of thought into how we built the facility. Our toilets are touchless. Our hand dryers are touchless—soap dispensers, faucets. Also, our swim instructors wear masks. We have dedicated people that are constantly cleaning the facility and sanitizing as classes are entering and leaving.” He said the filtration system they chose for the pool is the best on the market.
Auchynnikava added, “We replace the pool air every ten minutes.”
