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City of Montpelier (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To provide a place for cyclists and walkers to rest and socialize, this project developed a pocket park along an existing bike path. Guertin Pocket Park features a pergola -- a wooden structure with a roof -- to provide shelter from the sun or rain. Project organizers also incorporated seating and bike racks, as well as a rainwater collection system that feeds a small decorative garden. In 2021, the city decided to move the pocket park to a new location in the heart of downtown.
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See More Projects Like This One
Rolling Fork, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will create a 1/3-mile walking path with benches, trash receptacles, and public art. This vibrant path will enhance street safety and provide a safe, inclusive space for exercise and community engagement.
San Jose, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the local economy in San Jose's Washington neighborhood. To help meet the community's needs, Veggielution hosted free arts and environmental education programming. The local nonprofit, which aims to connect people through food and farming, invited people to the SoFa pocket park, which the organization created on the site of an underused parking lot. Events included a monthly garden art workshop and live musical and theater performances by local arts organizations. Additionally, Veggielution worked with a local arts school to create a mural for the pocket park. The activities helped link residents to resources, such as food assistance and entrepreneurship training, and connected local nonprofit organizations to each other, creating a better web of support for the community.
Williamston, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To create a downtown community space, the Martin County Chamber of Commerce transformed an empty lot by building a covered stage. The Chamber also added seating, allowing the space to accommodate local events. In addition, they added raised garden beds nearby, installing them at different heights to accommodate, children, older adults and people who use wheelchairs. Since its installation, the stage has hosted a variety of events and performances, including a local theater group's performance of excerpts from The Sound of Music, a karaoke night and a town Christmas celebration. Organizers say they hope the project sparks business investment and revitalization in Williamston's downtown.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Montpelier, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: Montpelier's farmers market lacked shaded rest areas, leaving older adults vulnerable to heat and limiting their time at the market. To address this, the market added two rest tents with cushioned chairs, benches and water stations, plus rolling carts to help shoppers carry groceries. Volunteers maintain the spaces weekly, and the improvements have drawn praise from vendors and visitors, who say they can now stay longer and enjoy music and community events. The changes have made the market more accessible and social, with plans to expand seating and shade as demand grows.
Montpelier, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older residents faced barriers to affordable fresh produce and lacked a welcoming space to gather. The project launched weekly pop-up farm-stand events outside the local center, offering low-cost food grown at the city's Feast Farm. A mobile stand, shade tent and signage were added, and volunteers-including many age 50-plus-helped run events featuring music and cooking demos. The farm stand became a seasonal hub for social connection and healthy eating. One volunteer said it was "wonderful to see all the fresh produce and feel part of something." Plans include continuing the farm stand and expanding different programs.
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