See More Projects Like This One

Avoca, IA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Avoca's Main Street already had green space and places to sit, but Avoca Public Library organizers wanted to give residents a reason to spend time downtown. To invite people in, they installed oversized, weather-proof musical instruments outside the library. Since the instruments don't require any training or talent to play, they are popular with residents of all ages. Part of the town's creative placemaking plans, the new music park is located near the site of Avoca's weekly summer farmer's market. It's a fun part of the town now, Avoca resident Sunshine Schoeller said.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project created a gaming area -- including a ping-pong table, cornhole game and checkers/chess table -- at the Coastal Branch Library in an existing green space.

Jacksonville, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will install benches in the cemetery's visitor's lobby to provide comfortable seating for older veterans and those with mobility challenges. The cemetery will also made aesthetic improvements, including displaying flags representing each military branch.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Dunellen, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Trails

Description: To make the half-mile trail in Columbia Park more accessible, the Borough of Dunellen installed 12 ADA-compliant benches. Volunteers added mulch around each bench and planted trees, shrubs and pollinator-friendly vegetation, with plaques identifying each plant. They also painted a footbridge connecting the part to a residential neighborhood. The project engaged Dunellen's mayor and Borough Council, along with the Dunellen Shade Tree Commission, the parks and recreation and public works departments, the Dunellen Arts and Culture Commission, the Dunellen Senior Club, the local football team and the Dunellen Municipal Alliance. Since installation, the Borough has seen a 44 percent uptick in trails users, as well as a 50 percent increase in older adults visiting the trail.

Berkeley Heights, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Improved wayfinding

Description: Officials with the Berkeley Heights Township have long worked to encourage residents to walk. To that end, an award-winning master plan focuses on making the community more pedestrian-friendly. To better inform people about local walking trails, the Township created the Trailblazer project. The wayfinding initiative installed sign kiosks at four locations, including the municipal complex, two parks and the community YMCA. Each displays maps of the township and its trails and provides paper copies for passersby to take with them.

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