AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Sisseton Arts Council (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To encourage residents to walk and increase the vibrancy of Sisseton's downtown, The Sisseton Arts Council created a new community gathering spot, which they dubbed the Midway Green Space. The site features a sculpture of a reflective, eight-point star, designed to represent the area's native Dakota and Scandinavian immigrant heritage. To make the Green Space inviting to visitors, volunteers installed granite benches and seeded native grasses. Since these improvements, project organizers secured funding for a second sculpture for the site, created by a local Native artist.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Sleepy Eye, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The project addressed limited walkable access in a historic district where older adults struggled to reach nearby cultural sites safely. The city upgraded the Chief Monument area with new sidewalks, benches, lighting, trash receptacles and landscaping, supported by volunteers age 60 or over who helped paint fencing and place amenities. These changes improved comfort and mobility and strengthened connections between the monument, museum and nearby parks. Residents said the upgrades made the block look better and easier to navigate. The improvements also support larger revitalization plans, including a future mural that will continue to draw people to the area.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Jackson, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of efforts to activate a new green space in downtown Jackson, the Jackson Hole Land Trust commissioned local artists to design benches for the space. All three benches meet ADA accessibility standards, with designs that encourage visitors to sit, touch and climb. Project organizers installed the seating ahead of a grand opening celebration for the Greenspace on the Block, a conservation easement that features walking trails and provides an outdoor venue for community activities.
West Fargo, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of efforts to attract visitors to its downtown, the City of West Fargo hoped to turn its POW/MIA Plaza on Sheyenne Street into a gathering space. To do this, the City purchased game tables for a previously underused portion of the plaza. "This project helped demonstratethe importance of creating opportunities for fun and safe activities in the city's new and improved downtown area," City Planner Malachi Petersen said. "It is our hope that this project will lead to future projects which encourage walkability and active lifestyles in our community." Today the plaza hosts community events, including a farmers market. Project organizers hope to replicate the games in other parts of West Fargo in the future.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Roslyn, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Roslyn's declining Main Street left few accessible spaces for gatherings, isolating older adults and limiting community life. CARE advanced its Veterans Memorial Park project by removing an old gazebo, installing ADA-compliant sidewalks and pathways and planting statement trees. Volunteers, including those over 50, helped relocate memorial bricks for reuse in the new design. Phase Two created an inclusive space and set the stage for monuments and a new gazebo, ensuring the park becomes a focal point for events and revitalization that connects residents of all ages.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Webster, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public places
Description: Day County does not have a curbside recycling pick-up program for its residents. To give the rural county opportunities to recycle, the Day County Recycling Team and Conservation District purchased a recycling trailer. Residents can now drop off recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles, at the trailer's location in the county seat of Webster. The Conservation District board tracks how often the 25-cubit ton trailer needs emptying to better understand local demand for recycling services. To familiarize residents with recycling, project organizers also posted signs with instructions and published recycling guidance in local newspapers.
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 South Dakota State Office
5101 S. Nevada Avenue
Suite 150
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
United States