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Missoula Parks and Recreation (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
To improve public health and increase residents' physical activity, the City of Missoula launched the Rx Trails program. Through the initiative, the local Parks and Recreation Department partners with local health care providers encourage patients to walk. The City worked to designate a path through McCormick Park as an Rx trail -- pathways featuring amenities including, drinking fountains, benches and accessible parking. They installed two benches and posted a map to help visitors navigate the trail. Additionally, they distributed promotional materials to residents to inform them about Rx Trails.
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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.
Joppa, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Joppa has one community park, which lacked accessibility features. With the help of volunteers, the Village of Joppa installed accessible seating, picnic tables, tire swings and belt swings and other amenities. Project organizers say they hope the upgrades allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the park.
Eliot, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To create a more accessible space for all ages, the Eliot Aging in Place Committee installed five benches on the Eliot Boat Basin, located on the banks of the Piscataqua River. The project was a community effort -- volunteers assembled the benches and transported them to their permanent locations. A key goal was to increase walkability and improve health and quality of life for residents. To achieve that, the Aging in Place Committee chose the bench design specifically with older adults' comfort in mind. Project organizers hope the benches -- placed along the waterfront and near a playground -- give visitors a place to rest, allowing them to enjoy walks in the park. Following their installation, the Committee secured funding for additional benches for the town's library.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Missoula's Transportation Planning hoped to improve safety at a busy intersection in the Riverfront neighborhood, while also giving people a space to gather. First, project organizers asked residents and local business owners for their ideas to improve the streetscape. Ahead of activating the intersection, the city's public works department made upgrades to pavement and water mains. Based on community feedback, Missoula Transportation Planning then created bulb-outs, which extend the curb into the intersection, giving pedestrians extra space, making them more visible to drivers and shortening the distance needed to cross the road. Curb ramps make the crosswalks accessible. To create a seating area, they also created two parklets -- mini-parks that fit in the footprint of on-street parking spaces. The parklets featured art, a space to park bikes and decorative foliage.
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital Connectivity for Disasters
Description: A series of walk audits at regional farmers markets will identify potential sidewalk, crosswalk and accessibility improvements. The Coalition will recruit older adults to conduct the audits and compensate them for their time.
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