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Stanton Community Foundation (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
The Greenbelt walking trail in Stanton is a source community pride, with residents of all ages using the trail. However, the text on the trail's original mile marker signposts have worn off due to age and weather. The Stanton Community Foundation installed new metal mile markers shaped like Dala horses -- small, red wooden horses -- which pay homage to the town's Swedish heritage. The mile markers allow residents to track their progress as they navigate the Greenbelt.
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See More Projects Like This One
Colorado Springs, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Trails
Description: Innovations in Aging Collaborative focuses on issues affecting the growing older population in the Pikes Peak area. As part of that focus, IIAC hoped to promote healthy recreational activity and reduce high rates of health problems, such as diabetes. Partnering with local organizations, including the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, Bike Colorado Springs and AARP Colorado, IIAC activated areas around the Sand Creek Trail. This included hosting community creek clean-ups, as well as a mural project involving a local artist and students. Since the activation, the City of Colorado Springs has continued to make improvements to the Sand Creek Trail.
Cheyenne, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Trails
Description: To give pedestrians and cyclists a space to rest and socialize, this project added five ADA-compliant benches along the Greater Cheyenne Greenway.
Fryeburg, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Trails
Description: Fryeburg's Age-Friendly Community Taskforce created a recreational trail in the Fryeburg Town Forest. Designed to be easily walkable by older adults and those with mobility challenges, the gently sloping, one-mile loop trail features a pedestrian bridge and benches. Over several October days, volunteers cleared a corridor for the Town Forest Trail, cutting and removing brush and small trees and removing boulders to create an opening for the trailhead. Future improvements include two additional bridges, benches and kiosk signage providing details about the trail.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Malvern, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The community of Malvern is an art hub for the region, but several spaces in the town were underutilized and aesthetically unappealing for residents and visitors. Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development improved two public corridors, allowing people to gather there. The Wabash Trace Corridor now boasts upcycled metal art panels. Additionally, artists and volunteers transformed an underutilized alley on the east side of Main Street into Malvern's Art Alley. The Art Alley -- which connects Malvern's downtown -- features murals on fences, garage doors and the backs of buildings. An interactive map includes a QR code, which links to a website showing the locations of each piece of public art.
Avoca, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Avoca's Main Street already had green space and places to sit, but Avoca Public Library organizers wanted to give residents a reason to spend time downtown. To invite people in, they installed oversized, weather-proof musical instruments outside the library. Since the instruments don't require any training or talent to play, they are popular with residents of all ages. Part of the town's creative placemaking plans, the new music park is located near the site of Avoca's weekly summer farmer's market. It's a fun part of the town now, Avoca resident Sunshine Schoeller said.
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