AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
In partnership with Great Land Trust and Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation constructed an ADA-accessible, scenic overlook viewing platform at the newly opened Settlers Bay Coastal Park. The platform, which includes a safety railing and seating, allows visitors of all abilities to enjoy the panoramic views at Mat-Su Valley's first and only coastal park. Prior to the development of Settlers Bay Coastal Park, locals lacked access to public lands for outdoor recreation. At an unveiling event for the new platform, the Great Land Trust announced they had acquired an additional 180 acres of land adjacent to the existing park, expanding the total permanently protected land area to 500 acres.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Fort Scott, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will add three new Kansas Unsung Hero panels to the Unsung Heroes Park. These panels will include QR codes for language translation.
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project improved accessibility at Pope Park for older adults and people with disabilities. Project organizers installed ADA-compliant picnic tables with benches, designed to accommodate individuals using scooters or wheelchairs. The added amenities upgraded an area of the park with a play area and spray pool for small children. In this predominantly low-income neighborhood few homes have front or back yards, making Pope Park an important outdoor space for residents of all ages. Project organizers say the new seating highlighted a need for more accessible pathways in the park, which are now being designed.
Angola, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Downtown Angola lacked accessible seating during events like Food Truck Fridays, limiting participation for older adults and people with mobility challenges. The project installed wheelchair-accessible picnic tables on permanent concrete pads in the community green space, creating a safe and inclusive environment. Volunteers helped with assembly, and branded plates were added to highlight the initiative. The tables now provide a lasting solution for social connection and comfort. One attendee said the new seating made events "less complicated" for her and her son, allowing them to simply come and enjoy the space.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Palmer, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project set out to create an arts and cultural trail in Palmer by installing four permanent pieces of art throughout town. To oversee the project -- including artist and site selection and community engagement -- the United Way of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough established a volunteer advisory board. They then selected four local artists. Once completed, the art will be displayed near affordable housing complexes, local business, trails and parks and at Palmer's public library. Each piece pays tribute to local history and identity, with one sculpture depicting the Matanuska Maid and a series of ceramic works evoking the flow and shape of the Alaska landscape.
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Adaptive riders faced barriers on local trails, limiting access for older adults and people with disabilities. Chugach Mountain Bike Riders partnered with an adaptive-sports nonprofit to audit trails and busy access routes, marking the first time adaptive riders evaluated the system. The audits led to immediate upgrades and shaped a master plan to add 5 miles of adaptive paths and connect to a middle school. They also unlocked new grants and municipal funding for future projects. This project "opens up new recreational opportunities for our community... and builds an inclusive experience for all of us," said an adaptive rider.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP Alaska State Office
3601 C Street
Suite 1420
Anchorage, AK 99503
United States