Bolton, CT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: An underused outdoor area with worn furniture limited opportunities for socializing and fitness. The center installed a pickleball court, added benches and upgraded the patio with accessible tables and chairs. Raised garden beds and a refreshed storage shed completed the transformation. The space now supports active living and community gatherings. "Wow, look at that! It looks amazing," said one resident during a local event, reflecting excitement about the new amenities and plans for expanded programming.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Mount Airy, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Mount Airy Parks and Recreation installed decorative benches and bike racks, planted trees and improved signage along the Granite City Greenway to make the area more accessible and user-friendly for people of all ages. Already the most-used outdoor recreation facility in town, the visits to the Greenway increased more than 30 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic. Project organizers report that visitors use the benches and bike racks on a daily basis. They say exposure for this project helped secure local funding and made the greenway more visible tourists. Work is now underway to expand the Greenway by 1.3 miles.

Grand Junction, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Grand Junction Parks and Recreation created a strength training circuit along a walking path in Sherwood Park. To achieve this, GJPR installed four pieces of equipment for working out leg, arm and core muscles, including a rowing machine, sit up and pull up station and leg press. The park once housed similar fitness equipment, but GJCR had to remove it in the mid-nineties due to rot. Today, many residents of the surrounding neighborhoods are 50 and older, and the new equipment gives them an option for a cardio workout and strength training. The fitness stations are available to the public seven days a week and those interested can register for free instruction on how to use them.