Opelousas, LA – A grant awarded to the City of Opelousas from AARP will help to enhance public areas around downtown Opelousas. Recently, the city was selected as one of the 159 recipients of the 2019 AARP Community Challenge Grant. Grant funds were used to purchase ADA compliant outdoor seating for four public gathering spaces around downtown. The outdoor seating includes picnic tables that allow wheelchair access as well as benches. The city received $3983 in funding for the project.
The accessible outdoor seating was placed around the Le Vieux Village, Courthouse Square, Opelousas Public Library and City Hall. “This project falls in line with our city efforts to make gathering places accessible for all people in our community,” said Mayor Julius Alsandor. “We are thankful to AARP for being selected for the award.”
Nearly 1,700 applications were received from non-profits and government entities for the program. The Community Challenge Grant was submitted by Opelousas Tourism/Main Street. Employees with the City Parks & Recreation Department assembled the furniture.
The full list of grantees can be found at www.aarp.org/communitychallenge.
The Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative which helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages.
Last modified: October 31, 2019