AUGUSTA — The things that could make Augusta a more livable place for senior citizens would do the same for residents of all ages, an AARP official recently told Augusta officials who are considering whether to seek the agency’s Age-Friendly Community designation.
Lori Parham, state director of AARP in Maine, told city councilors Thursday surveys show people who are members of the two largest generations — older baby boomers and younger millennials — are looking for many of the same things when they choose where to live.
Things sought by those two demographic groups, which together comprise some 150 million people, include short commutes; proximity to shops, restaurants and offices; a mix of homes; a mix of incomes; and the availability of public transportation.
“People want livable communities, and boomers and millennials have similar preferences in communities,” Parham said. “They would move to a smaller home to be close to what they want. They want to be near shops, restaurants, and offices. And they prefer to live where there is a mix of homes, not only with people of the same ages.”
Ward 2 Councilor Darek Grant agreed, noting many of the amenities — including hiking trails, easy access to services, and affordable quality housing — that help make life better for senior citizens really have the same effect on everyone.
“A lot of these items, I’d argue, are things we’re all striving for,” he said. “I think Augusta is a good fit for this. It’s age-friendly, but it’s also resident-friendly in general.”
Mayor David Rollins said councilors would consider a motion to seek to join AARP’s Age-Friendly Communities Network at their meeting next week, which begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at Augusta City Center.
Parham said to join the network, city officials should write a letter to AARP, then an advisory committee of citizens would be formed to begin the process of working to make improvements to make the community more age-friendly.
Communities would enter a four-phase process: first entering the network, then planning phases in years one and two, implementation and evaluation in years one through five, and a continuous cycle of improvement after year five.
Augusta’s age-friendliness, as rated by AARP’s Livability Index, is currently fairly average. The city’s “livability score” according to the online index, which provides scores for communities across the country, is 58, out of possible best score of 100. Communities are scored by comparing them to one another, so the average community gets a score of 50, with above-average communities scoring higher and below-average scoring lower.
Other Maine municipalities, and their scores, include: Hallowell, 56; Portland, 62; Richmond, 57; Gardiner 57; Waterville, 58, and Winthrop, 56.
Augusta did well in its more-specific rankings for its environment, at 71, and civic and social involvement and engagement, at 74.
It scored below average in neighborhood access to “life, work, and play” locations, at 46; transportation, which factors in local public transportation availability, congestion and safety, at 49; and health, which includes access to, and quality of, health care, and local healthy behaviors, at 49.
Augusta scored a somewhat above-average score of 59 for housing affordability and access.
At-Large Councilor Dale McCormick noted housing options for senior citizens in Augusta, with the recently opened Cony Flatiron Senior Residence and the current renovation of the former Hodgkins Middle School into housing for senior citizens, are on the rise.
Parham noted Maine’s population has the oldest median age of any state but is challenged, in efforts to become more livable for older residents, by its rural nature, old housing stock, limited transportation alternatives and struggling economy.
Communities already members of AARP’s Age-Friendly Communities Network in Maine are Bethel, Bowdoinham, Ellsworth, Kennebunk, Paris and Portland.
Network members gain access to research, guidance from experts, invitations to training and networking events and public recognition of the community’s efforts to become more age-friendly.
Keith Edwards — 621-5647
Twitter: @kedwardskj
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