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City of Madison (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
The spot where a popular pedestrian and bicycle path connects with Leopold Community School has needed repairs for years. The Cannonball Path's entrance was cracked and overgrown with weeds. To make the gateway to the path more welcoming, volunteers laid new concrete, planted native perennials alongside the path, added interpretive signage and installed solar lighting. New benches give people a space to sit and to appreciate the sculpture that adorns the trail entrance. The artwork depicts a fiddlehead fronds -- an homage to the local ecology. Today, the space gives educators the opportunity to teach students about local wildlife and also acts as a drop-off location for parents escorting their children to school. Project organizers say the improvements are part of community-wide efforts to give people more resting spaces along local trails.
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See More Projects Like This One
Boligee, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Trails
Description: This project improved The Bobcats Paw Trail with bricks, landscaping and a picnic pavilion.
Evansville, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Trails
Description: This ADA-accessible trail project aims to make the country's largest urban old-growth forest fully accessible for people with limited mobility.
Kansas City, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Trails
Description: The WeAreMarlborough project installed 16 bike racks and two benches along the Greealk, a new two-mile walking path that winds through Marlborough. The pathway connects residents to three new city parks, as well as rapid transit lines. To meet residents' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marlborough Community Coalition also erected temporary two Little Free Food Panty locations along the Greealk, one in a local community garden and the other in a pocket park. In addition, the organization hosted activities, including safe biking workshops, a community Halloween celebration. Project organizers say neighbors requested improved greenspace for years -- new amenities along the Greealk represent steps toward a more healthy, active community.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Madison, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: RASCW and partners will host an ADU design competition to create affordable housing for older adults in Madison. The competition will focus on accessibility, sustainability, and affordability. Winning designs will be showcased and made available to residents, promoting innovative housing solutions.
Monticello, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Trails
Description: To connect two multiuse trails with Monticello's downtown, this project will add bike racks, wayfinding signage, benches, bike lanes crosswalk paint and new trees.
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