Smith Senior Living trustees and senior executives along with Orland Park village officials celebrated the grand opening last week of Greenleaf Rehab by raising colorful barbells draped with a ribbon.
“Now that more older adults are scheduling elective surgery, Smith Crossing is proud to help them return to their life of independence,” said Kevin McGee, president and CEO of Smith Senior Living, which sponsors Smith Crossing. “By increasing our capacity for short-term stay rehab we can help more people, especially those with more complex health care needs after surgery or a medical incident.”
McGee said the expansion was done because Smith Crossing could admit only 11% of patients seeking short-term stay rehab.
The two-story, 45,222-square-foot building is connected with a passageway to the west side of the main building on Smith Crossing’s 32-acre campus at 10501 Emilie Lane.
This expansion increases the total square-footage of its main building to almost 506,000-square-feet of residences and common areas.
With the addition of the new rehab wing, Smith Crossing has invested $119 million in building its campus.
Smith Crossing’s new wing houses 46 private suites for adults needing short-term stay rehab services as well as common areas including a modern rehab gym that provides a greater variety of therapies; private treatment and therapy rooms; offices; and a cafe for rehab patients, their family and friends.
Smith Crossing is home to 300 residents in independent and assisted living as well as memory and skilled nursing care.
“As a not-for-profit organization established in 1924, Smith Senior Living is deeply committed to responding to the needs of older adults. Because Will County is one of the 100 fastest growing counties in the country and its population is aging, Smith Crossing is anticipating an ever-increasing demand for rehab programs,” said McGee said.
Driver services facility reopens in Orland Park
The Secretary of State Express Facility is open again in Orland Park.
The facility moved from its longtime home at Orland Park Village Hall to its new digs at Orland Township Hall, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave. in Orland Park. The new facility is about a block south of the former location.
The new express facility is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. It is closed on weekends and holidays.
Motorists can renew driver’s licenses, obtain license plates, purchase renewal stickers and take nondriving tests.
Information is at 312-793-1010.
Thirsty Pig building for sale
When the Thirsty Pig restaurant closed a year ago in Summit, signs on the door said it was “temporarily closed for a makeover.”
And the owner posted a message on Facebook that said, “We are reopening with a new pit master and new management soon.”
Apparently, those plans fell through because the building at 6312 S. Harlem Ave. is now for sale with an asking price of $699,999.
The restaurant had changed a few months before it closed from Grand Duke’s to the Thirsty Pig and changed its menu from Eastern European to barbecue.
The owner said Grand Duke’s was moving from Summit to Downers Grove “to follow our customer base that has moved farther west.”
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They also were opening a sister restaurant called the Old Vilnius Café in Darien.
Now the business and building in Summit are for sale.
Owner Andrew Bucas also operates the Jokers Gaming Café next door. It closed in mid-March, when all gaming operations in Illinois were ordered shut down by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. It has not reopened even though the state shutdown was lifted at the end of June and Summit village officials approved a new business license earlier this summer.
Angry Slice closes in Summit
Angry Slice and Sub Shop in Summit is closed.
The business, which opened several years ago at 5436 S. Harlem Ave., has been cleared out and appears to be permanently closed.
Buona Beef coming to Countryside strip mall
Buona Beef — the restaurant chain that started in Berwyn in 1981 and now has 26 locations in the Chicago area — is coming to Countryside.
Countryside Mayor Sean McDermott and city Administrator Gail Paul confirmed that the chain will occupy the former Boston Market site at Plainfield and La Grange roads.
“Well, they have a contract on the property. So, we’re working on a redevelopment agreement,” Paul said. “As long as we can get that done over the next month, they’re in.”
McDermott called the restaurant “a wonderful addition to the city of Countryside.”
“We have a few details to work out, but it’s moving in the right direction,” the mayor said.
“It’s somewhat iconic in the Chicago area,” he said of the chain.
Buona Beef also sells Italian beef in supermarkets in and around Chicago, and has catered countless parties over the years.
The plans call for Buona Beef to demolish a portion of the building on the west side in order to create more parking, Paul said. They also plan an outdoor patio for dining, she said.
Buona Beef officials did not return several phone messages, but Paul the chain has been interested in Countryside for a while.
“Actually, we were talking with them about our City Center, where Chick-fil-A is, and they didn’t do it. But they kept looking for another opportunity on LaGrange (Road),” Paul said.
The City Center retail development that features a Starbucks and other stores, is on the east side of LaGrange Road, just north of Joliet Road.
Bob Bong is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].