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Campbellsville University Harrodsburg Conover Education Center (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
As the City of Harrodsburg approaches its 250th anniversary, Campbellsville University's Conover Education Center surveyed residents about their preferences for neighborhood beautification. In response to their feedback, the Center made streetscaping improvements to Broadway Street. The organization installed commemorative signs at both end of the street, which identify the road as Kentucky's oldest. The Center also added solar lighting, four native shade trees and concrete planters showcasing holly bushes. The new amenities represent improvements to an area which hosts a local festival. Project organizers say the effort also gave longtime residents the chance to engage with local leaders and share their stories and history.
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Belchertown, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This senior center will install benches along a new paved walkway located near an assisted living facility and a school. The seating will enable older adults with physical or cognitive challenges to take walks.
Ludington, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed picnic tables on the grounds of Big Sable Lighthouse to provide a place for visitors to rest.
Springfield, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: In the 1980s, many businesses moved out of Springfield's downtown. But in recent years, a new generation of entrepreneurs, artists and gig workers have begun repopulating the city's main commercial district. In light of the area's new vibrancy, the Commercial Street Community Improvement District is working to market the area and tell its story. The CID created a series of parklets with outdoor seating to give visitors a space to socialize and relax. They also commissioned a local artist to create a mural, using community feedback to inform the final design. The mural fits within a larger street art project. CID organizers say they hope these improvements will help the community develop a renewed sense of place.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Danville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Danville has a significant population of residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Community Arts Center hoped to foster a greater sense of belonging for these individuals and to strengthen their sense of place. To achieve this, students from the Kentucky School for the Deaf created and installed a 100-square-foot mosaic on the exterior wall of the Community Arts Center, one of the town's most prominent buildings. The Center held workshops to teach the students about mosaic art and hosted a lecture series for the larger community. In a follow up survey of the students, a majority said they were excited to bring family to visit the mural. They also said the project boosted their sense of connection to the community.
Danville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Danville was known for the community's commitment to the arts, but the town lacked public art in its downtown. In an effort to bring vibrancy to the town's commercial core, Heart of Danville has supported more than 100 major renovation projects. This project installed the community's first large-scale mural. More than 1,000 residents provided feedback about what should be included in the mural designed by artist Andlee Rudloff. The final design showcases the community's history. To complete the mural, 205 people -- ranging in age from 2- to 80-years-old -- gathered to paint. Project organizers say the mural is the first step toward activating the adjacent parking lot, allowing it to host parklet installations and pop-up events.
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