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Abbeville Main Street (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Abbeville's Lafitte Drive-in Park is located in a neighborhood with few options for free recreational activities. To give residents a place to exercise, Abbeville Main Street created the Fit-Trail. Volunteers installed several stations along the park's walking path, each featuring a different piece of exercise equipment. The walk guides users through a series of exercises, including stretches, pull-ups, leg lifts and more. Organizers also installed signage explaining how to use each station, as well as a sign that congratulates visitors once they complete the course. Organizers say the fitness course gives residents a way to increase their physical activity, and also gives people a new reason to visit Lafitte Drive-in Park.
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Fort Scott, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Fort Scott's Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes mission is to share stories of lesser-known great Americans through project-based learning. The Center created a downtown park next to its museum facilities. The new space features six narrative boards, which commemorate the contributions of individual heroes. Students in grades four through twelve researched and chose the subjects, who include scientists who discovered dinosaur bones and measured the extent of the universe, as well as a Navajo code breaker, a pioneer of modern education and others. Project organizers say the story rails will allow visitors to learn about historical figures outside the nearby museum's operating hours.
Brunswick, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Part of larger plans to revitalize Goodyear Park, this project improved landscaping around the park's new labyrinth. To give visitors a place to rest and reflect as they navigate the contemplative walking path, volunteers also installed ADA-accessible benches onsite.
Eastport, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: The City of Eastport wanted to give visitors to its new park an interactive, low-impact activity, suitable for people of all ages. So they installed a music part onsite. The space features several permanent, outdoor musical instruments, including a drum set and a yantzee and duet -- both of which are mallet instruments similar to a glockenspiel. The improvements are part of larger remediation efforts to transform a former landfill on Passamaquoddy Bay into Cony Park, a four-acre outdoor space.
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Erath, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: COVID-19 pandemic restrictions led to an increase in pedestrian and bicycle activity in Erath, as people sought out safe ways to get around and spend time outdoors. And many residents of the small town do not own cars. For local leaders, the increase in biking and walking represented an opportunity to effect long-term change. Since Erath only had one bike rack, the Town purchased and installed new racks in 16 locations around town to encourage locals to bike to the local park and businesses. Volunteers helped design the racks and coordinate the best places to install them.
Opelousas, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: The City of Opelousas had no accessible seating outdoor seating in its downtown. So City officials set out to create comfortable, wheelchair-accessible gathering places, creating a more welcoming Main Street for older adults with mobility challenges. They installed ADA-compliant rest areas with benches and picnic tables at several downtown locations, including the farmers market, the local courthouse and the public library.
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