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Helena, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: One of Helena's main cultural attractions is the Myrna Loy theater, a performing arts center and movie house in the Rodney Street neighborhood. To make the outdoor area next to the theater more welcoming, the Myrna Loy installed ADA-accessible benches, added artistic bike racks, hung LED party lights and constructed planters. Additionally, they decorated dumpsters and a nearby vacant historic building with artwork. Since these improvements, the community has continued to redevelop the space, adding murals and other public art.

LaBelle, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Downtown LaBelle was once a thriving destination, but in recent years many businesses have moved to different parts of town. Particularly challenging was an unusable tennis court, which sat vacant right in the heart of the downtown. To make the area more attractive to residents and visitors, the LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation created a new, multigenerational space in the footprint of the tennis court. Project organizers removed the court's worn concrete and equipped the space with a roofed gazebo, placing seating and game tables underneath.

Glenns Ferry, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The City of Glenns Ferry activated a neglected plot of land into a new, multigenerational park, which they named the Oregon Short Line Park. The space was previously the site of another park, which the City removed in 1980, leaving the land to sit in disrepair. Improvements include a new basketball court, a paved area for other games, a shade structure, benches and ADA-accessible swings designed for children, infants, adults and people with disabilities. In addition, the local branch of Future Farmers for America created an interactive musical installment comprised of a playable bell and a beat wall. Located near the city's historic museum, the Oregon Short Line Park is the only park on Glenns Ferry's south side. In the future, the City plans to add landscaping and xeriscaping.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Jenkins, KY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalk/crosswalk improvement

Description: This project will repair sidewalks, install benches and add community art along two downtown corridors frequented by older residents.

Whitesburg, KY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Trails

Description: The Tanglewood Trail is a three-mile, lighted path that travels through Whitesburg's downtown. To make the trail more useable for people of all ages, Appalshop laid new blacktop to create even, at-grade pavement and installed benches at regular intervals to give people a place to rest. The path connects local businesses and allows residents to navigate downtown on foot. Project organizers say the trail will eventually connect to the 1,800-mile-long Great Eastern Trail.

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