Since it opened 10 years ago, the Tinley Park Convention Center has hosted everything from wedding receptions to civic expos to golf shows to punk rock concerts with acts including Naked Raygun and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
Then came the pandemic, which largely idled the center until January, when it amped activity up. On Jan. 26, the 120,000-square-foot facility opened to provide thousands of COVID vaccines.
In a venture that includes the state, Cook County and the Village of Tinley Park, the Convention Center became the first mass COVID vaccination center in the state, set up in less than a week.
“All hands were on deck,” Tinley Park Assistant Village Manager Pat Carr said. “We had a lot of people cooperating to get this done.”
Carr reports that since it opened for vaccines, the facility has averaged approximately 10,000 vaccines a week, though cold and snowy weather in mid-February helped keep those figures down by limiting the availability of the vaccines.
Noting that the facility can administer 30,000 vaccines per week, he said those numbers could soon increase.
The Convention Center was mostly idle for nine months after the pandemic hit hard in March 2020. Carr said state and county officials toured it then seeking a large building to host COVID testing.
The center lost out to McCormick Place in downtown Chicago, but government officials kept Tinley in mind for this major vaccine project.
On the first day vaccines were administered in Tinley, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle were on hand to open the facility.
“Widespread vaccination sites will allow us to quickly and efficiently get these life-saving vaccine doses to Illinoisans as more federal shipments of vaccine come online,” Pritzker said at the opening. “The Illinois National Guard and the Illinois Department of Public Health are proud to partner with Cook County to launch the Tinley Park Convention Center Vaccination Site — with many more to come across the state.”
People have to sign up for appointments at a Cook County website — vaccine.cookcountyil.gov — based on eligibility and availability.
“While we’re excited to be taking these steps, I want to be sure we set clear expectations,” Preckwinkle said at the opening. “At this moment, not just here but across the country, demand is heavily outweighing our supply of vaccines. We don’t have adequate vaccine to supply to vaccinate everyone immediately.”
With the winter storms knocking the supply down, Carr has heard some grumbling.
“The frustrating part is that it’s out of (the village’s) hands,” he said. “We don’t control that. We provide security and other resources, but we don’t control the vaccines.”
Carr said he also hears from people who are grateful to have received the vaccines. “That outweighs the criticism,” he said.
State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) filmed a Facebook Live video touring the facility and walking viewers through the process. And religious leaders from the Tinley Park Ministerial Alliance are on hand for comfort.
“I don’t mean to make a pun, but they are a godsend,” Carr said. “There are so many people who come in anxious and uncertain, and they do a great job calming their fears.”
For senior citizens with transportation issues, Orland Township is offering bus service to the convention center for $3 one way and $6 round trip. Rides are available from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekdays. Orland Township serves Orland Park, Tinley Park and Orland Hills. For more information, call 708-403-4222.
Bremen Township, which serves parts of Orland Park and Tinley Park, is also providing rids from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 708-687-8220.
This article originally ran on nwitimes.com.
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