The city of Mount Airy has taken another step to better prepare for an older population that continues to grow by joining the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
Although senior residents are a focus of this designation, it is aimed at improving “domains of livability” that benefit citizens of all ages, according to an announcement regarding Mount Airy’s entry into the AARP program.
City officials have mounted extra efforts in recent years to paint Mount Airy as a retirement destination, including forming a committee geared toward that purpose. Since 2013, it also has been part of the North Carolina Certified Retirement Community Program, for which the municipality’s certification was renewed another five years in late May.
AARP — formally called the American Association of Retired Persons, but now known by just that acronym — is an interest group focusing on issues affecting the elderly.
Mount Airy applied in January to become part of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. With physical fitness a primary goal of the program, the application process was led by city Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis and the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority. The city Relocation/Retirement Committee also assisted.
Mount Airy’s acceptance into the program formally was announced Tuesday by AARP’s North Carolina division in Raleigh, making this city part of a network of 469 members in cities, towns and rural areas across the U.S. Eleven are in North Carolina.
“This designation is outstanding for our community,” Lewis said during a recent meeting of the Mount Airy Commissioners after advance word of it had come, when he presented a framed certificate from AARP to Mayor David Rowe.
“You have to be selected by AARP to be part of this program,” he explained, calling it an honor, as opposed to a locality simply choosing to join. “Also, the associate director (Mark Hensley, AARP associate state director for the Triad region) came and visited Mount Airy prior to Mount Airy being selected.”
One benefit of the program will involve that organization promoting the city as an age-friendly community along with similar activities already under way, including those of the North Carolina Certified Retirement Community Program.
“Our partnership with AARP will only make those efforts better,” Lewis said of tourism and recruitment of new residents, calling the certificate “a great achievement” for the local area. “This has given Mount Airy another marketing tool.”
Tangible improvements
“More than a quarter of the town’s population, or 26.6%, are age 60 and older,” Lewis added in discussing one motivation for involvement in the AARP program.
By joining that network, Mount Airy has committed to becoming more age-friendly under criteria established by AARP and will pursue improvements in transportation options, access to health care, the use of open spaces, social inclusion and more, officials say.
As part of the program, AARP engages with elected officials, partner organizations and local leaders to guide communities through various assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation processes of the age-friendly network.
“An age-friendly community is livable for people of all ages,” Lewis pointed out regarding benefits to the community at large, which was echoed by Hensley, the area AARP official.
“People of all ages benefit from the adoption of policies and programs that make neighborhoods walkable, feature transportation options, enable access to key services, provide opportunities to participate in community activities and support housing that’s affordable and adaptable,” he said in a statement.
“Well-designed, age-friendly communities foster economic growth and make for happier, healthier residents of all ages,” Hensley continued.
“The work that happens within the network — which is a program within the larger AARP Livable Communities initiative — is hands-on and locally determined and directed.”
Mount Airy was already the beneficiary of an AARP Livable Communities grant in 2019, which helped support the enhancement and expansion of the city greenway system.
Access to safe physical activity is a big part of what makes communities livable and has been a priority for the city, Lewis said of the recreational aspect of the program.
Mount Airy now offers 30 miles of sidewalks, 6.6 miles of greenway space and seven community parks that assist residents in their ability to walk, run and bike, he mentioned.
The city has a diverse recreation department that encourages programs, activities and facilities for people of all ages, according to Lewis. “The Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Department is a thriving facility with 25% of the city’s population as participating attendees.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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