Natick Hosts Event, Creative Installation to Demonstrate Walking Trails for All Ages and Abilities

Written by

Karen Adelman
Communications Strategist
Coordinator of MetroWest Regional Collaborative
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
617-933-0704
[email protected]

For Immediate Release: October 26, 2017

Natick Hosts Event, Creative Installation to Demonstrate Walking Trails for All Ages and Abilities

Participatory November 1 Event to Showcase Findings from AARP-funded Natick Study

NATICK – The Town of Natick is taking steps to make its recreational trails easier to get onto and to use, especially for older adults and people with disabilities. The Town, together with the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (MWRC), the local arm of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), has been conducting a project funded by the AARP to define and promote improvements that will make the trails more accessible to older adults. A free, drop-by event on November 1, from 10:00 A.M to noon at Natick Community-Senior Center, 117 East Central Street, Natick, MA, will showcase findings.

The event will feature a temporary creative installation facilitated by MAPC’s artist-in-residence, Carolyn Lewenberg. The installation will demonstrate some of the ideas garnered through the project so far. Participants will have an opportunity to contribute their ideas, as well as draw the scene and share their stories of trails, walking, and Natick.

Through “Age-Friendly Trails in Natick” project, MAPC staff are assessing the conditions of access points to Natick’s existing and planned trails. The team will “grade” the access points for their age-friendliness and how easily they could be made accessible for residents, regardless of age or ability. MAPC, MWRC, and Town of Natick staff have met with and surveyed older adults for their input. The survey is still open, and can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/naticktrails.

AARP received almost 1,200 applications for Community Challenge funds, resulting in a highly competitive selection process. “Age-Friendly Trails in Natick” was one of only 89 projects nationwide to win funding.

For more information on the project, contact Karen Adelman, MWRC’s Coordinator at [email protected] or 617.933.0704, Barry Keppard, MAPC’s Public Health Director at MAPC at [email protected] or 617-933-0750, Susan Ramsey, Natick’s Director of Council on Aging, at [email protected] or 508.647.6544, or Jemma Lambert, Natick’s Director of Community Services, at [email protected] or 508.647.6546.

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