Athens Main Street has been selected to receive the 2023 AARP Community Challenge grant from AARP Livable Communities and AARP Alabama. The grant will allow Athens Main Street to furnish the Athens Famers Market at Doug Gates Park with age-friendly furnishings.

Athens Main Street was one of 310 grantees selected to receive the grant. Athens Main Street Director Tere Richardson said that the plan is to purchase slide-in picnic tables, accessible picnic tables, and comfortable high-seat chairs.

“We are incredibly proud that AARP selected us for this investment to make Athens and Limestone County more livable for residents of all ages,” Richardson said.

The AARP Community Grant Challenge mission is to make communities more livable for people of all ages with tangible improvements that jump-start long-term change. Now in its seventh year, AARP is announcing the largest number of Community Challenge grants to date, investing more than $3.6 million among 310 grantees across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Richardson explained that AARP believes that great communities take a long time to build and sustain. But they also believe that quick actions can be the spark for long-term progress.

The grant funds quick-action projects. All projects are expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2023. The new furnishings for the market pavilion will provide a comfortable, safe, and vibrant seating space for all ages at the Athens Farmers Market.

The Athens Farmers Market committee is planning to install and showcase the furnishings during the upcoming fall market.

“We cannot wait to see the transformation of our gathering space with help from this grant,” Athens Farmers Market Manager Kat Greene said.

The fall market is scheduled for September 30, 2023, from 8 a.m. to noon. Greene encourages everyone to make plans to shop at the market, listen to great music and celebrate the new furnishings.