I was asked why the Aquatic Center is not open and said that I would look into it. First, public pool membership has been on a downward trend in Marlboro and other desirable suburban communities. In Marlboro, the amount of home pool construction over the past few years and especially during the pandemic has only accelerated the trend. Of note, this year, nearly half of the membership of the Marlboro Swim Club is now comprised of non-residents.

Also well-reported is the lack of lifeguards and staffing available.  In fact, many pools have not opened at all and lakes and beaches have cut back on bathing hours. 

Marlboro maintains two pool facilities, a membership-based Swim Club and an Aquatic Center.  The Aquatic Center is normally utilized and supported by a large summer camp program which runs from late June to early August.  Both of these facilities are supported by user fees and not the general taxpayers. 

In past years, the Aquatic Center, in addition to serving the summer camp, was open on weekends. Year after year, the Aquatic Center membership declined to the point that there were often two or three families present on a weekend – still requiring a full complement of staffing.  This was not financially sustainable.

In late May of this year, COVID restrictions were relaxed by the Governor allowing our summer camp to safely open. Approximately 300 campers registered for Marlboro Summer Camp, a far cry from the 1,200 who registered as recently as 2019.  In order to make best use of resources and not open and staff multiple pool facilities to serve a much smaller customer base, a cost which would necessarily have been borne by the general taxpayers, our campers are cooling off at the Marlboro Swim Club this year.

The Township is exploring options relative to operating the pool facilities in a post-COVID world in order to ensure we continue to provide summer fun for our residents without burdening the general taxpayers.