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Delaware Nature Society (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
This project added amenities including benches, shade trees and interpretive panels to a new but underused wetland park. Delaware Nature Society hired guides to lead nature walks and help visitors monitor water quality.
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See More Projects Like This One
Clarion, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: A dilapidated, abandoned building sat in the heart of Clarion's downtown business district. But city officials were concerned demolishing the building would result in a missing tooth -- a vacant lot not conducive for redevelopment. The City made the difficult decision to tear down the building, but rather than leave the site empty they turned the space into a pocket park. Equipped with accessible picnic tables and new trees, bushes, planters and attractive grasses, the new green space gives residents easy access from a parking lot to the shops and restaurants on Central Avenue.
Dennis, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed six raised-bed gardens and two ADA-compliant benches on the Dennis Center for Active Living grounds.
New Ulm, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Downtown Action Team partnered with Minnesota Main Street to encourage residents of all ages to come downtown, walk down main street and learn about local history. To encourage socializing, they rearranged underutilized benches downtown, grouping some with new outdoor tables to create places for residents to sit and linger. Organizers installed plaques featuring photos and a brief narrative on the benches. Additionally, they adorned tabled with imagery and text explaining New Ulm's history.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital Connectivity for Disasters
Description: This project will provide training on preparing for disasters and distribute preparedness kits to participants. The initiative will also outfit a mobile emergency disaster unit with solar-powered satellite internet access and portable charging units.
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: During the planning stages for a mural at the 4th Rodney Park, Pastor Lottie Lee-Davis -- a community leader and the project's main partner -- was killed in a car crash. The original goal for the mural was to depict positive imagery for neighborhood children to look up to as they played. After Pastor Lottie's death, organizers used the mural to honor the woman who was a beloved leader and advocate for the 4th Street corridor's residents. Local artists Crae Washington and JaQuanne LeRoy Daniels made Lee-Davis the central figure in the mural, surrounding her with bold colors and words representing career aspirations of the area's children and teens. Since the mural's installation other improvements have come to the park, including new greenery and a bike repair station. Cornerstone West has also worked to implement public art and beautification projects at other nearby parks, including Judy Johnson Park, Cool Spring Park and Tilton Park.
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