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El Rito Library (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
This project upgraded thearea around the library by clearly separating parking from other areas with stanchions. Volunteers also added a sandbox, benches and a bicycle repair station.
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See More Projects Like This One
Central Falls, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Progreso Latino hoped to make better use of its limited outdoor space, expand its program offerings and help combat social isolation among older adults. The organization -- which serves Latino/a elders -- built a community pavilion in the heart of Central Falls to serve as a safe, outdoor gathering space. Organizers outfitted the space with tables and chairs and installed bollards to protect it from vehicle traffic. The pavilion's significance as a community space increased when Central Falls' only other senior center closed. Today the space hosts Zumba classes, walking groups, performances and vaccine clinics.
Central Falls, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To transform a green space into an attraction for people of all ages, this project installed amenities such as seating and tables for dominoes and chess.
Richford, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will support efforts to create a welcome center at a downtown outdoor space. The new space will feature seating, raised garden beds and a community food pantry, which will offer residents free produce grown onsite.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Dixon, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To draw visitors to a park on the grounds of Dixon's local library, the Embudo Valley Library and Community Center installed picnic tables and benches at the site. In 2019, the library distributed a survey and hosted focus groups with residents to determine the community's needs, with seating emerging as a top priority. The community center commissioned local artists and craftspeople to create the tables and benches, which are ADA-compliant. One of the tables is located in the library's fruit orchard, near a traditional irrigation ditch known as an acequia. Project organizers say they chose the location to honor the community's cultural heritage. In the future, Center staff envision putting the benches and tables to use during local events, including the annual Fiesta de Santa Rosa.
Taos, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will upgrade a farm that hosts agricultural and therapeutic activities for military veterans and other residents. The organization will install an ADA-compliant walking trail, add tables and benches and restore a wetland area.
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