The former K-Mart/Sears building next to Urban Air on 87th & Maurer in Lenexa, Kan. is now a Goldfish Swim School.
The swim school is the second Goldfish location in the Kansas City metro for owners Josh Bitterman and Robert George, who held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to celebrate its grand opening. The first Goldfish location is in Overland Park, Kan. and opened in 2018.
“We understand how important water safety and swimming as a life skill is to all families in our community, and we know that children benefit greatly from participating in learn-to-swim programs from an early age,” said Bitterman. “We’ve seen thousands of children become safer in and around the water at our Overland Park location over the past four years and we are excited to bring the Goldfish Science of SwimPlay® curriculum, high-quality instruction and a new state-of-the-art facility to families in and around Lenexa.”
Local project partners include Fogel-Anderson Construction Co., the contractor for both the Lenexa and Overland Park locations and Copaken Brooks, who owns and manages the building.
"Digging a large pool inside an existing retail building is just as complicated as it sounds. You have to move the same amount of dirt in a very tight space with smaller equipment," said Roger Summers, VP of Business Development at Fogel-Anderson. "These swim schools are a great fit for retail spaces that might be a challenge to lease to other tenants."
Goldfish Swim Schools specializes in teaching children ages 4 months to 12 years how to swim and be safer in and around the water. The new location will employ approximately 40 people.
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Feature photo courtesy of Fogel-Anderson Construction Co.