Senior Center Relocates At Highland Park Country Club

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The city’s senior center will relocate to the Highland Park Country Club and begin offering in-person programs starting Tuesday. The city’s free Connector Bus service will also resume June 1, city staff announced.

The move to the 1201 Park Ave. W. facility permits members and guests of the City of Highland Park Senior Center to more safely resume on-site activities, in addition to the ongoing remote programming on offer since the senior center suspended in-person services in March 2020.

The center’s ongoing speaker series and book discussion group will continue online, while other programs, including fitness classes, Mah Jongg, bridge , canasta and bing will be available in person at the country club, according to to city staff.

COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of patrons and staff, especially people who are immunocompromised or who have not been vaccinated, according to the announcement.

City staff said the decision to operate the senior center out of the country club represented an acceleration on existing plans to transition activities to the country club to offer more parking and open spaces for events.

According to the announcement, the city’s 10-year capital plan contemplates plans, currently on tap for 2024, to invest in improvements to the country club to offer better services to members.

In response to demand for more service later in the afternoon, the city’s Connector Bus will resume its route on Tuesdays and Fridays, operating from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The connector bus runs along the following route, with riders permitted to request additional stops at the Metra station, the police department and Highland Park Hospital:

• 654 Walnut
• 1695 Second St.
  400 Central
• Highland Park Public Library
• Sunset Foods
• Sunset Woods Condos
• Jewel-Osco
• Sherwood Forest
• CVS
• Target
• Brooke Estates
• NorthShore Highland Park Hospital
• Walgreens
• Highland Park Senior Center at the Highland Park Country Club.

Face covering are mandatory on the Connector Bus, which is scheduled to stop at each of the above locations hourly before conducting drop offs in residential areas for the final route of the day.

The senior center will offer a new online portal to make it easier to manage membership and handle account maintenance starting in June. The web portal will allow older Highland Parkers to join the senior center, renew their membership or register and party for activities.