FRENCH LICK, Ind. (October 2, 2026) – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) has announced that the City of Madison is the recipient of a 2026 Aim Program Innovation Award for “Gray Watch,” the intergenerational lifeguard staffing model at Crystal Beach Aquatic Park. The city was recognized during the Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Baker Tilly, on Wednesday, September 30, at the 2026 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick. Madison earned the award in the 12,000-50,000 population category.
When the City of Madison reopened Crystal Beach Aquatic Park in 2024 following a transformative renovation, residents made a simple request: keep the pool open through Labor Day. That created a familiar municipal challenge. Traditional lifeguard staffing models rely on high school and college students, most of whom return to school in early August, which typically forces community pools to close weeks before the summer ends. Rather than accept an earlier close, Madison developed a solution that came to be called Gray Watch: a team of retired community members who volunteered to serve as lifeguards after younger staff returned to school. What began in late summer 2024 as a handful of shallow-water-certified fill-in guards has grown into a dedicated team of eight seasonal lifeguards, many of whom pursued full deep-water certification in subsequent seasons.
Gray Watch members have created an unusual intergenerational workplace at the historic Crystal Beach pool, which was built in the 1930s through the Works Progress Administration and designed by architect Frank Baldwin Hunter under the “Seashore Pool” concept. Younger staff gained mentors; older staff found renewed purpose, activity, and community. The model reflects Madison Parks and Recreation’s tagline, “From one generation to the next,” and demonstrates that a solution to a common operational problem was already living in the community. Today, Crystal Beach stays open through Labor Day.
“Recipients of the Aim Program Innovation Award are municipalities that are problem solvers.,” said Aim CEO Matt Greller. “Through Gray Watch, Madison found a solution that keeps a treasured community space open longer, honors the experience of its retired residents, and builds lasting connections across generations. We are proud to present the Program Innovation Award to the City of Madison for the vision behind this exceptional program.”
The Program Innovation Award honors municipalities that have successfully developed and implemented creative new approaches to delivering services or conducting municipal operations. Awards are presented in multiple population categories based on nominations received.
In its 50th year, the Aim Annual Awards program, presented by Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors LLC, recognizes communities and individuals in municipal government for excellence and outstanding achievement. A seven-member panel of qualified judges selected this year’s winners from a competitive field of nominees from around the state.
Conference Facts:
2026 Aim Ideas Summit
September 29-October 1, 2026
French Lick Springs Resort | French Lick, Indiana
Attendance: 1,100 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.