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Great Bay Stewards (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Accessibility of amenities
└ Accessibility of amenities
The Great Bay Discovery Center serves to support land protection and research, as well as provide a space for learning about the Great Bay estuarine ecosystem. To make the space more welcoming, the Great Bay Stewards expanded the Center's accessible garden, adding a new sensory garden and an accessible swing. The Estuary Inclusion Garden now features a space where people with intellectual disabilities can experience the area through sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. The centerpiece of the garden is a blue heron sculpture created by a local artist and surrounded by grasses, flowers and herbs.
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Tallahassee, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Following a year-long planning process, the City of Tallahassee constructed a linear park in its Greater Bond neighborhood. The park includes a walking trail stretching from Speed Spencer Stephens Park on the east side of the city to the St. Marks Trail to the west. Originally a drainage easement, the site once had an open ditch running through it. To ensure the new park's accessibility, the City installed a bench swing and a wheelchair-accessible drinking fountain with a water bottle filler. Designed as a community gathering space, project organizers hope the linear park acts as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization.
Newton, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project installed ADA-compliant benches and educational signage at a future wetlands park located one mile from a large retirement community. It also created safety warnings and pavement markings at the site.
Klamath Falls, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
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Portsmouth, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project will create a community garden with raised garden beds and vertical gardens to enable older residents of local senior housing communities to grow their own food.
Eliot, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To create a more accessible space for all ages, the Eliot Aging in Place Committee installed five benches on the Eliot Boat Basin, located on the banks of the Piscataqua River. The project was a community effort -- volunteers assembled the benches and transported them to their permanent locations. A key goal was to increase walkability and improve health and quality of life for residents. To achieve that, the Aging in Place Committee chose the bench design specifically with older adults' comfort in mind. Project organizers hope the benches -- placed along the waterfront and near a playground -- give visitors a place to rest, allowing them to enjoy walks in the park. Following their installation, the Committee secured funding for additional benches for the town's library.
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