Senior Services of Will County opens unique Ovation Center in Romeoville

Senior Services of Will County on Wednesday gave the public an up-close look at its new Ovation Center, a senior facility that the agency said is unlike any other they know of in the Midwest.

The 127,000-square-foot building, a remodeled Target store in Romeoville, is spacious if nothing else, having the appearance of an indoor mall for senior activities, related businesses and government offices.

“Together, we are changing the way seniors live in Will County,” Senior Services CEO Brianne Hetman said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ovation Center.

Other speakers at the ceremony echoed the message, saying the nonprofit agency was taking its services to a new level with the Ovation Center at 349 S. Weber Road.

Senior Services Treasurer Duffy Blackburn commented on the reaction of seniors who have been visiting the building.

“One senior just stopped and paused and said, ‘I can’t believe you did something so nice for us,’” Blackburn said. “That just hit me in the heart.”

The center does provide another place for seniors to congregate.

The Ovation Center is in a location that abounds with potential users. Romeoville and neighboring Crest Hill have several gated communities built for senior residents.

Within a 15 mile radius of the Ovation Center there are 210,000 residents aged 60 or older, Hetman said.

Senior Services will continue to run its center at 251 N. Center St. in Joliet, which Hetman said is similar to what most senior centers look like. The center provides space for classes, activities and meetings.

The Ovation Center includes a banquet center, still under construction, that will be available for wedding rentals for the public as well as performances geared toward seniors.

Office space is being rented to businesses, including Friends Over 50, which provides home care for seniors, and Insurance Concierge, which advises on Medicare and other health insurance needs.

The Connect Roasters coffee shop at the entrance to the Ovation Center looks to do business with seniors who come to the facility and the general public who may just stop in for coffee. A health care provider yet to be named also intends to do business with both seniors and the general public, Hetman said.

The Ovation Center is located in a strip mall that among other things provides ample parking space, which matters to its users.

Dorothy Saunders of Joliet, who uses the Senior Services Center in Joliet, noted the more ample parking at the Romeoville site.

“I like it because the parking is there,” said Saunders, who described the Ovation Center as “a beautiful place.”

The Ovation Center includes wide hallways designed to provide seniors a place for daily walks. Hetman said the track totals a mile after six laps, and Senior Services provides pedometers so walkers can measure their distance.

The strip center setting includes neighboring retailers T.J. Maxx, Maurice’s and Petco.

A Ross Dress for Less is coming, which Romeoville Mayor John Noak said is one sign of renewed interest in the strip center since Ovation Center has been under construction.

The village of Romeoville, a big backer of the project, provided a grant to support construction of the Ovation Center and will occupy space.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Noak described the Ovation Center as a creative use of empty big-box retail space, which is become a growing issue around the country.

Current occupants and others yet to arrive take up almost three-fourths of the space in the Ovation Center.

“More is to come,” Noak said. “This is just the beginning.”