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Fern Ridge Public Library (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at the Fern Ridge Public Library were determined to offer a safe outdoor space for residents to congregate. When a large, centuries-old Heritage Oak tree fell on library grounds, they took the opportunity to construct a courtyard, enlisting local artists to create benches from the tree's wood. To make the space inviting, volunteers planted native Oregonian plants and laid down gravel to create an accessible pathway. What had been a weed-covered yard became a peaceful seating area for casual meetings, quiet reading and public performances.
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Shawnee, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The organization will rotate a shared mobility toolkit with benches, signs and safety features among rural towns to test walkability improvements. These pilots will help communities create safer, clearer walking routes for older residents.
Kennett Square, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: With the goal of supporting small businesses downtown, this project created the first parklet in Kennett Square. Before installing the mini-park, only one side of the borough's main street featured wide sidewalks and could be closed to vehicles on the weekends. Project organizers hoped to expand the space available for outdoor dining and gathering. To do this, the Historic Kennett Square repurposed three on-street parking spaces, installing deck flooring, adding overhead string lights and setting out picnic tables and planters. Four restaurants -- two coffee shops and two restaurants -- used the space. Volunteers designed the parklet be torn down ahead of the winter months and set back up in the spring. Project organizers say the parklet helped demonstrate the value of placemaking projects.
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The May Dugan Center, which serves low-income older adults in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, hoped to create a welcoming gathering space for its Seniors on the Move program. To make the Center's outdoor area accessible, organizers outfitted the space with four ADA-compliant picnic tables. Additionally, the Center provided program participants with herb garden kits, allowing them to create windowsill gardens in their homes. Ultimately, organizers hope experience tending the kits will help SOTM participants hone their gardening skills, which they will use to plant flower beds and raised vegetable plots at the Center. This project is part of the nonprofit's larger mission to help older adults manage their financial, physical and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to safely age in place.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Eugene, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: A food pantry entrance will be rebuit with ADA-compliant graded paths, nearby parking and planters. These changes will make grocery access safer and easier for shoppers with mobility challenges.
Eugene, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: SquareOne Villages constructed two ADA-compliant tiny houses at Emerald Village Eugene, a permanently affordable tiny home co-op. The 1.1 acre location features 22 tiny houses, ranging in size from 160- to 288-square-feet. Each contains a kitchenette, bathroom and sleeping and living areas. Private donations and in-kind contributions by local architects, builders and others funded the project, with future residents contributed their labor during construction. As a result, construction costs came to around 55,000 per unit, including the price of the land. The monthly cost to residents ranges from 200 to 300 and covers utilities, maintenance, operating costs and common spaces. As members of a housing cooperative, the residents own shares in the village, enabling each to receive some money if they choose to move out. To promote diverse housing options, organization also hosted two workshops on accessory dwellings unit in Eugene.
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