In just five years, the membership of the Park City Senior Center has grown from 70 to more than 650. Of those, 300 joined in the past three years.
Board President Liz Novack attributes the surge to both the “silver tsunami” and the fun, engaging environment offered at the center four days a week.
“It is a bit overwhelming, I will say that,” Novack said on the KPCW “Local News Hour,” Wednesday. “We are nearing the 700 mark pretty quickly here. I believe that because of the population of our seniors, increasing year by year within Park City municipal area as well as Summit County. And the fact that we offer some really cool things for seniors to connect to is one of the reasons that we are seeing such tremendous growth.”
Executive Director Trason Dixon says word of mouth, along with improved communication through the center’s website and twice-monthly newsletters have helped fuel the boom.
While no one has been turned away from activities or the popular hot lunches, Dixon warns the center can’t continue to see this kind of growth without limiting participants.
“We're quickly approaching that limit, absolutely.”
Currently Park City provides maintenance, cleaning, snow removal, activity subsidies and a grant for part-time staff. Summit County helps by funding the lunch cooks and utilities. by paying for the lunch cooks and the utilities.
Novack says the partnership between the center, the city and the county is invaluable – but it also creates uncertainty about who will shoulder future funding responsibilities.
“So, it's everybody working together as a team,” she said, “but everybody's got to do the heavy lifting, and I think that's our challenge.”
Plans for a new 15,000 square foot senior center are moving forward.
“We're not talking about the design yet,” she said. “We don't even know where the front door is going to be, but it's basically where the facility would sit. And the parking issue. There is a work session scheduled with Park City Council November 6 to flesh out what that looks like.”
As the Summit County Council begins its 2026 budget process, Park City seniors are requesting additional funding, including support for more staff, a fourth lunch day each week, and capital funds to help move the new center project forward.
