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Martin County Chamber of Commerce (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To create a downtown community space, the Martin County Chamber of Commerce transformed an empty lot by building a covered stage. The Chamber also added seating, allowing the space to accommodate local events. In addition, they added raised garden beds nearby, installing them at different heights to accommodate, children, older adults and people who use wheelchairs. Since its installation, the stage has hosted a variety of events and performances, including a local theater group's performance of excerpts from The Sound of Music, a karaoke night and a town Christmas celebration. Organizers say they hope the project sparks business investment and revitalization in Williamston's downtown.
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Willcox, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Despite years of neglect, the Heritage Courtyard represents a beloved and beautiful part of Willcox's downtown. To make the space more welcoming to residents of all ages, Willcox Theater and Arts -- whose building is adjacent to the courtyard -- installed benches, bulletin boards and planters. Additionally, a local craftsman constructed a new gateway for the space, which is coated in copper to pay homage to Arizona's mining history. The courtyard contributes to downtown walkability and is first project in the town's Downtown Revitalization Plan, paving the way for future community improvements. The City plans to use the park for special events, exhibits and storytelling activities.
Roswell, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Roswell often experiences daytime temperatures well over 112 degrees Fahrenheit. The tourist town also welcomes more than 200,000 tourists each year. This project set out to help visitors and residents alike walk in downtown Roswell despite the brutal heat. Over the course of several years, Maitreet Roswell collected plastic bottle caps and container lids -- part of an effort it called Bottlecaps to Benches. Project organizers then sent a tractor trailer full of the caps to a recycling plant in Indiana, which sent back 30 benches made from recycled plastic. Maitreet Roswell then installed the benches throughout the town's commercial district, allowing pedestrians to sit and recover from the heat.
Saint Peter, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will convert a vacant lot into a downtown plaza and community event space, providing a gathering place for residents and visitors.
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Greenville, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: This project set out to create a space where drivers, cyclists and pedestrians can learn street safety practices. To do this, organizers installed the Greenville Traffic Garden. Volunteers painted markings on the pavement to make a simulated roadway. Visitors to the garden -- including children and older adults -- can practice yielding to traffic, riding alongside traffic and walking safety along the roadway. Organizers hope the space helps encourage people of all ages to walk and bike.
Vanceboro, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Resources about housing options, safety and services
Description: This project built one housing unit as a model for socially conscious and environmentally-friendly homelessness reduction for residents with high barriers to employment.
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