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.

Grants, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: This project will enhance City Hall Park with new picnic tables, benches, improved ramadas, and landscaping. These upgrades will create a welcoming space for older adults to enjoy outdoor activities.

East Hope, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: This project will build a covered pavilion in a city park, providing a safe, shaded space for community members of all ages. The pavilion will provide protection from the sun and support various community events and gatherings.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Kuna, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Kuna has a large parking lot in the center of its downtown that goes largely underused for most of the year. To spark the community's imagination, the City and Idaho Smart Growth hosted the Park for a Day event, which turned the lot into a pop-up plaza. The event featured live music, a food vendor and sketches illustrating ways the space could be permanently transformed. Attendees also contributed their own designs for the parking lot. Suggestions included using the space for a series of short-term, recurring events, such as an Oktoberfest, a Christmas village, a renaissance fair or themed dance nights. The City went on to explore several ideas from the pop-up event, including paving the parking lot with solar panels and installing green stormwater infrastructure to sustain landscaping at the site.

Marsing, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: The city will install an outdoor fitness court, which will be available free of charge to residents of all ages and abilities. To make the space inviting, the city will also create a mural.

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