Outdoor Spaces & Public Buildings
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AFCC's Walk-In Cafe
Walking Programs
Age-Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec (Bath region): partners with the YMCA to provide a free indoor walking opportunity during winter months
Age-Friendly Coastal Communities (Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington): sponsors a weekly walk-in cafe that includes treats, chats with friends, and an optional stroll on the Murphy Trailhead
Age-Friendly Georgetown: created the Georgetown Trekkers program, which encourages Georgetowners of all ages to get out and enjoy the island's nature preserves
Placemaking and Economic Revitalization Projects
Old Orchard Beach Community Friendly Connection: re-energized an entire block by engaging the neighborhood in a collaborative clean-up and restoration project
Age-Friendly Portland: partnered with Portland Downtown and wrote a Community Challenge grant to make alleyways welcoming by creating murals with old doors, lighting, greenery, and creative overhead treatments to design engaging multi-activity spaces
An Eagle Scout Project built and decorated benches that were placed by Augusta Age-Friendly
Enhancing Outdoor Spaces
Bangor Livable Communities: conducted park audits, and made recommendations that were incorporated into the update of the Comprehensive Plan
Age-Friendly Chelsea: restored trails, added picnic tables, and installed signage in Butternut Park
Age-Friendly Eliot: added five benches to the Boat Basin, allowing people to sit, relax, and enjoy the view
Age-Friendly Fryeburg: designed and built a one-mile-loop recreation trail that is easily walkable by older adults and individuals living with disabilities
A community teaching garden in
Age-Friendly Raymond
Community Gardens
Age-Friendly Millinocket: developed a teaching garden for all ages that celebrates the culture of the people who originally lived on the land
Age-Friendly Dexter: worked with local high school students to build and distribute raised bed gardens to more than 50 residents
A new ramp to Lifelong Palermo's Community Center
Accessible Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings
Age-Friendly Bowdoinham: conducted an accessibility audit of the town office that led to the addition of a push button entry and handrail at the main entrance, heated mats and a central rail for the exterior stair entrance, and improved covered ramp access
Age-Friendly Ellsworth: added adult fitness equipment to Knowlton Park
Age-Friendly Eastport: installed outdoor xylophones and drums in Harmony Park so residents and visitors can play music while enjoying the view of Cobscook Bay
Age-Friendly Saco: installed beach mats to enable greater accessibility to its sandy waterfront
We're inspired by...
Partnering to Keep Bangor's Outdoor Spaces Pristine
WABI News featured the joint efforts of the Friends of the Lower Kenduskeag Stream (FOLKS) and Bangor Livable Communities, members of which gather monthly to ensure that the trail remains in tip-top shape! (Click the picture to view the story.)
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all programs, services, and activities developed in Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings but is a sampling of approaches adopted. We update this section regularly to highlight the many strategies implemented in Maine communities.