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Bath, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Organizers with Age-Friendly Communities of Lower Kennebec and City of Bath hoped to create inclusive public spaces for residents of all ages to enjoy. They worked with students to install outdoor chess and checkers tables at a new downtown plaza and a near a local assisted living facility. The tables are ADA accessible include benches designed for people of all ages and abilities. A spectator bench allows onlookers to take a seat and watch the players. To ensure all community members can play, game sets are available for loan at the local library and nearby businesses.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Older adults in Walton County had few options for outdoor recreation and social connection. To address this, the county transformed a library courtyard into a gaming garden with a ping-pong table, chess table and corn hole set. These additions created a welcoming space for residents to gather and stay active. The project introduced a new venue for multigenerational interaction and prompted plans for future upgrades, including walkways to improve accessibility.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Morgantown, WV

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Many older adults in Morgantown do errands on foot. But patrons of the city's senior centers reported they often needed to sit and take a break while walking downtown. Unfortunately, the downtown area lacked suitable seating options. To make the space more welcoming, the City of Morgantown installed accessible benches throughout the business district. Project organizers say the new seating has sparked enthusiasm for additional downtown improvements. Additionally, the seating is allowing more people to walk to local shops, restaurants, doctors' offices and other amenities.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Portland, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions

Description: AIA Maine saw that many residents living in older homes needed clearer ways to plan for safe aging in place. Limited affordable options and uncertainty about how to adapt homes made it hard for people to understand their choices. The group hosted webinars on adaptable housing, aging in place and multigenerational design, then used its 207 HOME competition to surface practical ideas for one floor living and flexible layouts. Seventeen submissions highlighted ways older adults could remain safely housed while staying connected to their communities. A traveling exhibit will bring these examples to public venues and expand awareness. The competition also strengthened conversations with state partners about the housing needs of older adults. One collaborative team designed a series of small ADU style units to support shared living, and their enthusiasm reflected the value of generating ideas that can shape future policy and design.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Augusta, Bangor and Westbrook, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: To increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine held a series of short-term traffic calming demonstrations in Bangor, North Yarmouth and Bangor. The pop-up installations increased the visibility of crosswalks and shortened crossing distances with simple, cost-effective tools. The Coalition deployed flexible lane delineators and pedestrian-crossing signs. They also painted pedestrian landings at crosswalks and added shared-lane markings -- called sharrows -- to street pavement. To gage the effectiveness of these activities, the organization collected survey responses and traffic data, which showed that traffic speeds decreased and pedestrians appreciated it. Project organizers say the demonstrations helped prove to municipal leaders that streets are for people -- not just people in cars -- and improving safety is possible without complex, expensive road construction.

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AARP Maine State Office

53 Baxter Boulevard
Suite 202
Portland, ME 04101
United States

Phone: 866-554-5380
Fax: 207-775-5727
Email: [email protected]