More on the New Loudon County Skatepark

A skater's reaction to the new skatepark:

"This park is excellent," said skateboarder Steve Jefferson, 21, who has been involved with the project over the past year. "It's unlike any park I've ever been to. This park is definitely a modern-type skate park for this century. It has new features that are most likely not even in a street even, they are perfect for skateboarding."

On the collaboration between Loudon County and the South Riding Home Owner's Association:

"We had an agreement with the county where we would pay for it and then the county would take over maintenance and management of the park," said Jeff Salmon, president of the South Riding HOA. "It's effectively a gift from the HOA to Loudoun County."

Salmon on meeting the needs of older kids:

"We have a lot of resources for young children, but the older kids had little activities in the entire Dulles South area," he said. “"we determined this would be something the older kids would like and determined this was a need."

Involving skaters in the park's design:

Salmon said skateboarders and other members of the community were involved with the process all along.

"In July, we had a demo day for a skate park and let them vote on different designs and they actually selected the design we went with," he said. "We've received nothing but positive feedback."

Loudon Times: Skate Park opening in Dulles