Millinocket, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places

Description: Residents and leaders in Millinocket, located at the foot of Mount Katahdin, are working to make the town a four-season destination for outdoor recreation. To encourage residents to get outside and interact with their neighbors, the Town held the Katahdin Snowdown, a winter event. Activities included ice skating, snowshoeing, snow art and a bonfire. Organizers offered visitors hot chocolate and coffee. In addition, the Town installed a story walk -- a series of signs along a local hiking trail that each display a portion of a storybook. Equipment purchased for the event -- including benches, pop-up tents, insulated coolers and speakers -- are now available for use at other town events. The outdoor event provided residents with an intergenerational social outing during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the years since, the Snowdown has become an annual occurrence.

Danforth, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Accessibility of amenities

Description: This project brought the city's Livable Communities Center up to ADA accessibility standards with a new front walkway and entryway and a renovation of its stairwell.