Lincoln County, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Addressing community health

Description: When the Lincoln County Youth Center opened in 2021, children would run laps around the building's wide, circular hallway. To allow visitors to exercise, the Lincoln County Youth Commission created an indoor fitness track in the hall. With the track, the Lincoln County Youth Commission hoped to make the Center a welcoming space for residents of all ages. The rural community lacks sidewalks, making walking outdoors difficult for the community's older adults. The Lincoln Loop is ADA-accessible and offers a climate-controlled environment for people to exercise all year round. The path also includes stations where people can perform stretches and warm-up exercises.

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.