A café inside the Park County Senior Center aims to serve more than coffee when it opens later this month.
The Hub Club Café is expected to open by the end of August, offering espresso drinks, grab-and-go food and a railroad-inspired atmosphere. But Executive Director Garrick Foust said the larger goal is creating a welcoming space where people of all ages can gather.
"We don't rely on any kind of government funding whatsoever, so bringing business into the senior center will give us money so we can fund and put into other programs and fill those gaps," Foust said.
The Park County Senior Center has served Livingston residents since 1968, providing programs and resources for older adults. Foust said that mission has expanded in recent years as rural communities continue to lose services that many seniors rely on.
"Critical resources for seniors have been moving out of the county," Foust said.
According to Foust, about half of Park County's population is age 50 or older, while roughly 30% is age 65 or older. He said helping people stay socially connected has become just as important as providing traditional services.
The building has evolved to meet those needs. A former thrift store in the basement was transformed into a gym designed for seniors and people with limited mobility. Now, the center is preparing to open a business designed to welcome a broader cross-section of the community.
"I want to connect the whole community here," Foust said.
Located just blocks from Livingston's high school, the café is intended to attract students, families, seniors and anyone looking for a place to gather.
"Sothe high school is just down the street and they walk by here every single day and there really isn't a place for the youth to gather," Foust said.
For Edie, who has been visiting the senior center for about a month, the connections already formed there have become part of her daily routine.
Most mornings, she joins a group of friends around what they call the "round table," where conversations can cover just about anything.
"Oh you believe it from UFOS to whatever," Edie said when asked what the group discusses.
She said the friendships she's found at the center have already made a difference.
"It's a godsend for a lot of people here," she said.
When the Hub Club Café opens, Edie hopes those conversations won't be limited to seniors.
"Its gonna be really really nice I think its going to be a godsend to people of this whole town," she said.
The Hub Club Café is anticipated to open by the end of August.
