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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.
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Tolland, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To give older adults in Tolland an outdoor space to gather and spend time, the Tolland Conservation Commission created a new park. The Commission worked with landscape architecture students at University of Connecticut to design Wanat Senior Park, a 13-acre area with accessible woodland trails, space for stargazing, a wheelchair-accessible meadow trail and meditative labyrinth. Engagement with older adults, including a design charrette and guided site tour, informed plans for the park. Volunteers of all ages planted vegetation and helped install hardscaping. The park features a pollinator garden, ADA-compliant benches and a variety of native plants. Public art -- including a sculpture of a heron and a sundial -- welcome visitors to the space.
Cloverdale, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: There will be multiple accessible benches added along the trail, as well as a bilingual walking program. The project will add places to rest and meet, while guided group walks will support safe movement and social connection.
Union City, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Christian City replaced a lost dog park to preserve a vital gathering space for older adults. The new park includes fenced areas with accessible entrances, benches and a shaded gazebo, creating a safe spot for exercise and social connection. Volunteers cleared the lot and helped prepare the site, and a ribbon-cutting marked its opening. Residents say the space eases loneliness and fosters friendships. One woman noted, "It's a wonderful welcoming gathering place" and has helped her make and enjoy new friendships.
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.
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