Bellville Ohio is Making Plans to be Livable at Any Age

On October 1, Bellville Mayor Teri Brenkus signed a letter of intent to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities at the official signing ceremony at the Bellville Village Bandstand. AARP Ohio Director Jenny Carlson officially welcomed Bellville as the 37th Ohio community to join the network—and the first since Ohio’s statewide Age-Friendly Ohio designation by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Mayor Brenkus welcomed the team from AARP Ohio. “Bellville is a place where neighbors care for one another and families grow together across generations,” This work with AARP Ohio builds on those strengths and will help us take a closer look at how our community can better support residents of all ages. We're excited to begin a comprehensive assessment of our town's strengths and areas for improvement, with a focus on ensuring that people can age in place with dignity and purpose."

Launched in 2012, the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities helps local community leaders and residents design and implement strategies that support healthy aging. Participating communities focus on key areas that shape daily life, from housing and transportation to social participation and health services.

Following today’s signing ceremony at the bandstand, residents of all ages gathered for a community conversation and visioning workshop co-hosted by AARP Ohio. The session marked the official kickoff of Bellville’s Age-Friendly planning process, inviting community members to share their needs and ideas.

“Bellville’s entry into Age-Friendly Ohio reflects the power of small communities to lead big change,” said Jenny Carlson, AARP Ohio State Director. “By joining a growing coalition of forward-thinking communities working to reshape how we approach aging, Bellville is showing that livability and inclusion can start at the local level. AARP Ohio is proud to support this movement and help lead the way across the state.”

 Carlson says AARP Ohio started the process today, seeking community input to help build a roadmap, provide technical assistance and identify resources to support short-term and long-term goals. The community plan will cover the next five years.
 
“I’m looking forward to working closely with AARP as we move our community in the right direction for positive change,” said Mayor Brenkus.
 
Just over 2,000 people call the village of Bellville in Richland County – home. It’s known as a safe place for families – a great place to raise kids. The median age is 40 years old. As of 2024, 22% of the people in Bellville are 65+. That’s 10% higher than in Mansfield and 25% higher than the state overall.
 
How livable is your community?

AARP.org has a Livability Index on its website. Enter your zip code to learn the factors in your community which determine its livability. The index is made up of 50 data points which are updated annually.

The process to become an Age-Friendly Community involves a multi-year commitment, beginning with the development of a local action plan. To help communities become age-friendly, AARP Ohio provides access to global resources and information on age-friendly best practices, models of assessment and implementation. Ohio can now tap into the experiences of a network of more than 1,000 communities and 12 other states, as well as other countries. AARP Ohio is here to support local leaders and residents with tools, data, and best practices from around the world.

To learn more about Age-Friendly Ohio and how to get involved, visit:
aarp.org/AgeFriendlyOhio.