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Worcester, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Trails

Description: Organizers with the Vermont River Conservancy wanted to allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the newly created North Branch Cascades Trail. To make the one-mile route accessible, they worked with a professional trail builder to make the path ADA-compliant. Additionally, VRC added amenities including benches, picnic tables and a privy. To help visitors navigate, they created trail maps and added wayfinding signs marking scenic overlooks and swimming holes along the trail. The improved trail has a gentle grade, which allows people who use wheelchairs to roll all the way to the river's edge. This is something many trails can't offer since river access often involves a scramble down a steep bank. Organizers say the North Branch Cascades Trail has since inspired conversations about how to increase accessibility at other hiking routes in the region.

Rossville, KS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Trails

Description: This project will create a multipurpose trail to enable safe outdoor exercise and allow older adults to gain the health benefits of walking and biking.

Monticello, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Trails

Description: To connect two multiuse trails with Monticello's downtown, this project will add bike racks, wayfinding signage, benches, bike lanes crosswalk paint and new trees.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

AK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing

Description: This project will collect and analyze ordinances regulating accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with the aim of creating a best practices toolkit and a model ordinance for communities.

Anchorage, AK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: Alaska Trails worked with Bike Anchorage to shape sustainable transportation in Anchorage. The two organizations educated residents about the city's Non-Motorized Transportation Plan, an effort to integrate bike, pedestrian and train networks into a multi-modal system. They also informed residents about Anchorage's Complete Streets policy, which aims to remake city streets to safely accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and bus riders of all ages and abilities. In addition, Alaska Trails supported Safe Routes to School, an initiative that promotes walking and bicycling to school. This outreach effort included social media posts, print and television news coverage and a newsletter. Alaska Trails continues to work to encourage locals to use the state's trails and each year Bike Anchorage holds a Winter Bike Fest to promote cycling in the city.

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