Same Colony Pool Club, Even Better Experience: Chatham Township Partners with Madison Area YMCA
Chatham Township has partnered with the Madison Area YMCA as the service provider to operate, manage, and maintain the Colony Pool Club for the benefit of pool members. This partnership is designed to strengthen what members value most about the Colony Pool while raising the bar in day-to-day service delivery, management oversight, and safety. Through this agreement between Chatham Township and the Madison Area YMCA, the Colony Pool will continue to serve its members while benefiting from experienced aquatic leadership, enhanced water safety practices, and strong operational support.
WHAT’S STAYING THE SAME
The Colony Pool Club remains a community pool owned by the Township and preserved on our Open Space inventory, that is built around membership, neighborhood connections, and a great summer experience. The name, atmosphere, and traditions that make the Colony Pool feel like “our place” are not changing. Senior citizens can still access the pool for free on “extreme heat” days and our first responders will still receive discounted rates.
WHAT’S GETTING BETTER
The Madison Area YMCA is a member-focused, nonprofit organization with a long history of supporting communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. A YMCA-operated model brings a deeper bench of day-to-day aquatic operations expertise – exactly the kind of support that strengthens the member experience without changing what makes the Colony Pool special. Members should see improvements where it matters most in operations, including:
* Service & responsiveness: clearer operational processes and consistent day-to-day management.
* Oversight & accountability: experienced leadership focused on smooth operations and member experience.
* Safety & training: strong lifeguard standards, staff training, and proven aquatic safety practices.
* Operational continuity: stable staffing and professional management focused on a great season
The Colony Pool remains your community pool. The YMCA’s role is to serve, guide, and strengthen what already makes it special.
OUR FOCUS: A GREAT SEASON FOR MEMBERS
We know members may have questions whenever there is a new operating partnership. The most important takeaway is this: the core of the Colony Pool experience is not changing – your pool is simply getting stronger support behind the scenes. This partnership is being put in place for one reason: to deliver a better-run, safer, and more consistent experience for Colony Pool members. In the coming weeks, we will share additional information about the upcoming season with registration and programming details. Staff interested in returning to work at the Colony Pool Club will receive information on how to apply to receive preferential consideration. Apart from this exciting partnership announcement, we would also like to inform members that the pool wall rehabilitation project is progressing nicely, and the concession stand operator from 2025 will not be returning this year. Our intent is to keep communication clear and timely, so members feel fully informed. We welcome input and are committed to keeping the Colony Pool community engaged and confident as we move into the season.
If you have never been a member of Colony Pool or were a member at one time, we encourage you to consider joining in 2026. We look forward to another great summer built on tradition, strengthened by expertise, and centered on members.