Summit County is building a strategic plan for its aging population after projections showed the share of residents 65 and older could double from 15% to 30% by 2036.

The county hired The Hill Group, a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm, to survey seniors and draft the plan. The firm's chief operating officer, Jordan Pallitto, told the Summit County Council on July 29 that his team had held about 25 engagement sessions so far, the Park Record reported.

Transportation topped the list of concerns. Seniors told consultants they struggle to get to grocery stores, doctor appointments and friends' homes without help from a younger driver. The problem is especially sharp on the East Side of the county.

Pallitto praised volunteers who wake up before dawn to drive their neighbors but said the current system falls short. "What we've heard loud and clear is: it's not enough," he said, according to KPCW.

KPCW reported the firm is expected to recommend expanded transportation to the county's three senior centers in Kamas, Park City and Coalville.

Residents also asked for more health and wellness programming. Pallitto said the needs of a 60-year-old differ from those of a 90-year-old, and the plan will need to account for that range.

The effort gained urgency after Elk Meadows, which the Park Record described as the county's only continuing care facility, closed in 2024. Councilmember Tonja Hanson has advocated for an analysis of whether the county could partner with a private company to replace it. Deputy County Manager Janna Young said a feasibility study for a new facility was too expensive to include in the first round of work but that she expects to request funding for it next year.

Young told councilors during an Aug. 25 work plan update that senior services is one of two priorities driving budget requests for 2027, the Park Record reported. She said the county wants to be proactive about its growing senior population and sees a role for county government in filling service gaps and convening partners.

One unexpected finding: some older residents don't consider themselves seniors. Pallitto said people who qualify for programs by age told consultants they felt "not old enough" to participate. He suggested the county could rebrand its programs around active aging and wellness to reach more people.

Park City is also investing separately. The city has budgeted for a new senior center it wants to finish by 2029, moving the facility from lower Woodside Avenue to the Mawhinney parking lot across from the Park City Library.

The Park Record reported in early August that the Council could review and adopt the plan in early September. However, the amended agenda for the Council's Sept. 2 meeting does not include the senior services plan. KPCW reported the final document may not be ready until later this fall, when the Council begins its 2027 budget process.