The Town of Century is kicking off a new push to make its streets safer and more walkable, using a $2,500 grant from the nationwide AARP Community Challenge program to fund a community walk audit. Organizers are asking for volunteers to help launch the project at a planning meeting this Thursday at Century Town Hall.
The 6 p.m. meeting will be held indoors and is focused on planning rather than the walk audit itself. Volunteers who attend will help identify and map a walk audit route through town, laying the groundwork for a hands-on assessment that will actually take place later this year, once cooler weather arrives.
Once underway, the walk audit will examine sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and street lighting along some of Century’s key corridors. The goal is to pinpoint specific barriers that make it harder for residents to get around on foot and to flag opportunities for infrastructure upgrades that could make those routes safer and more accessible, particularly for residents aged 55 and older, a population the AARP Community Challenge program specifically aims to serve.
Century has brought in Kleinhaus Consulting Group, LLC to lead the effort. The consulting group will be responsible for organizing community engagement activities, guiding volunteers through the audit process, and compiling a final report of findings and recommendations for town leaders to consider once the work is complete.
“Creating a community where residents can safely walk, stay active, and remain connected is important for people of all ages,” Century Mayor Benjamin Boutwell said. “We appreciate AARP’s investment in Century and look forward to working with residents and our partners to identify ways we can make our town even more welcoming and accessible.”
Walkability studies like the one planned in Century have become an increasingly common tool for small towns looking to stretch limited infrastructure budgets. Rather than committing to costly improvements up front, a walk audit lets residents and consultants systematically catalog where sidewalks are missing or in poor condition, where crossings lack visibility or signage, and where lighting gaps could pose safety risks after dark, information that can later be used to prioritize grant applications or capital projects.
The AARP Community Challenge, which is funding the Century project, is a national grant program that supports quick-action initiatives aimed at improving livability for people of all ages, with a particular emphasis on projects that benefit older residents. Small, walkable improvements funded through the program have gone toward everything from park benches and crosswalk improvements to bike lanes and public space upgrades in communities across the country.
After Thursday’s planning session and the walk audit itself, Century officials plan to hold additional community meetings to share what the audit finds and to gather resident input on how the town should prioritize future improvements. Town leaders say the process is meant to be a collaborative one, with residents helping shape recommendations before any final infrastructure decisions are made.