Salt Lake City, UT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Trails

Description: An abandoned rail corridor in the Poplar Grove neighborhood prevented residents from safely walking or bicycling to Salt Lake City's downtown. A natural creek flowed through the site, but it was encased in an underground pipe. After the train tracks were removed in 2008, City leaders hoped to uncover the creek and add a 1.5-mile walk-bike trail. To build support for the project, they installed markers along the proposed trail and creek routes, adding signs with information about the site's history and benefits of restoring the creek. Local officials and residents were encouraged to walk the corridor and get involved in its restoration. The City also hosted an Oktoberfest celebration, which attracted more than 1,000 attendees who shared their priorities for the site. Topping the list: more green space. The completed trail opened in 2022. Following a city-funded study confirming the feasibility of daylighting the creek, the City and Seven Canyons Trust are now working on design options.

Bangor, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Trails

Description: Residents identified safety and accessibility issues along the Kenduskeag Stream Trail, where overgrown vegetation and poor signage made walking difficult for older adults. The project installed benches, improved parking lot lighting and added a solar-powered pedestrian crosswalk system to enhance visibility and safety. These upgrades encouraged more trail use and social interaction. "Having benches makes the trail more active, which also added to her feeling more safe taking a walk alone," said one resident. The city now plans additional improvements, including interpretive signage and grading work.

Webb City, MO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Trails

Description: Erosion on the Frisco Trail left a section unsafe for older adults and wheelchair users near Redwood Estates. The coalition built a cement sidewalk, installed signage and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting. The improvement restored safe access and improved driver awareness, making the trail usable for residents with mobility challenges. One resident said that with the new improvements "drivers...are slowing down and more aware of the walkers."