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Marlborough Community Coalition (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
The WeAreMarlborough project installed 16 bike racks and two benches along the Greealk, a new two-mile walking path that winds through Marlborough. The pathway connects residents to three new city parks, as well as rapid transit lines. To meet residents' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marlborough Community Coalition also erected temporary two Little Free Food Panty locations along the Greealk, one in a local community garden and the other in a pocket park. In addition, the organization hosted activities, including safe biking workshops, a community Halloween celebration. Project organizers say neighbors requested improved greenspace for years -- new amenities along the Greealk represent steps toward a more healthy, active community.
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Madison, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Trails
Description: The spot where a popular pedestrian and bicycle path connects with Leopold Community School has needed repairs for years. The Cannonball Path's entrance was cracked and overgrown with weeds. To make the gateway to the path more welcoming, volunteers laid new concrete, planted native perennials alongside the path, added interpretive signage and installed solar lighting. New benches give people a space to sit and to appreciate the sculpture that adorns the trail entrance. The artwork depicts a fiddlehead fronds -- an homage to the local ecology. Today, the space gives educators the opportunity to teach students about local wildlife and also acts as a drop-off location for parents escorting their children to school. Project organizers say the improvements are part of community-wide efforts to give people more resting spaces along local trails.
Sheridan, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: The North Main Association wanted to create a picnic area for Malcolm Wallop Trails, formerly known as North Park. To make the area accessible for people with mobility issues, the organization installed an ADA-compliant picnic table with and umbrella. In addition, they placed seven benches along the trails to allow people to rest during their walk or pause to observe deer, birds, squirrels and other wildlife. These improvements spurred the City of Sheridan to improve a parking area near the picnic table and install a sidewalk from the parking lot to the trails. The City also added a new trail to the site in 2021. Since the improvements, project organizers report an increase in visitors to Malcolm Wallop Trails.
Goshen, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Trails
Description: This project will install benches and informational signage along a new accessible loop trail that provides an experience in nature for people of all ages and abilities.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Kansas City, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The project tackled the challenge of a once-neglected lot that offered no inviting place for residents to sit or gather, reinforcing its reputation as an unsafe and unused space. The project added seating as a first step toward real progress in reclaiming the area, encouraging people to rest and converse. The improvements also reduced unwanted activity by showing that the site was becoming active again. Growing community interest supported future phases of the vision, and volunteers and interns continued stepping in to help at events. The upgrades sparked conversations about bringing similar spaces to other neighborhoods.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Kansas City, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public safety interventions
Description: As part of community placemaking efforts, the Blue Hills Neighborhood Association installed solar pathway lights to Blue Hills-Kissick Park. The pocket park -- created by activating a vacant lot -- is a new addition to midtown Kansas City. Intended to increase safety, the lights allow residents to visit the park after dark. Organizers say the new green space serves as a pilot project, demonstrating how repurposing vacant lots can beautify a neighborhood, cut down on illegal dumping and reduce crime. The Association reports the project also helped them educate residents about the benefits of solar lighting, which include reduced electric bills.
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