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City of Keiser (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
The city will reimagine a local park, focusing on the older adults' needs. The project will add amenities onsite, including low-impact exercise equipment, accessible walking tracks, ample shade and comfortable seating.
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See More Projects Like This One
Charleston, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Hampstead Square is Charleston's oldest public green space. But the square had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect, made worse by flooding. Keep Charleston Beautiful partnered with the City of Charleston to launch a multi-year park revitalization, part of broader work to bring greenspace to the community. They installed an irrigation system and updated landscaping. To give nearby residents free internet access, they also set up a Wi-Fi hotspot. Volunteers -- including community members and local businessowners -- helped complete the work and chip in additional funding. Inspired by the progress, organizers later added a new historic marker and statue of famed Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons, which inform visitors about the park's legacy. Since the improvements, the space has hosted health and fitness activities, youth programs and free outdoor movie screenings.
Hattiesburg, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Duncan Lake Park in Hattiesburg's East Jerusalem neighborhood is popular with residents, yet many of the park's amenities were in disrepair. To give the park new life, Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation refurbished picnic tables with new tops featuring painted checkerboards. They also installed new benches, added a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk and created two murals depicting native plants and animals. Today, the park hosts free arts programming for residents of all ages.
Gastonia, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will transform a garden into a welcoming space with walking paths, community gathering areas, and open garden space. It aims to celebrate local history and provide an outdoor area for environmental education.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Osceola, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Osceola's Rosenwald Park has a popular playground and is located near the county's older adult residential and recreational facility but has always lacked a paved path and sufficient shade for visitors in the hotter months. To improve the park, the City of Osceola built an ADA-accessible walking track that encircles the playground and links it to the sidewalk at the Mississippi County Senior Center. Meanwhile, city planners also worked with a community donor to plant more than a dozen red oaks, which provide a lush, sustainable shade canopy. Organizers say the upgrades have made the park more user friendly for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Blytheville, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: This project added new curb ramps suitable for wheelchair users in the downtown area.
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