The Pitts Street skateboard park won't have its grand opening until June 4.
But the clapping of skateboards and the exuberant shouts of those who surf on them are already being heard there.
"It's a lot better than I expected," Daniel Johnson, 19, of Thomson said Friday between trips up and down the concrete ramps.
He noted the park's hip ramps -- two slopes joined at a 45-degree angle.
"There are not too many parks that have them," he said. "They're rare."
Nearby, Julia Eshley sat on the porch of Watson Manor, an assisted living center.
Was she bothered by the popping sounds of skateboard on concrete?
Not at all.
"There are a lot of good-looking men showing off out there," she said. "I'm having fun. They're having fun."
Bob Howard, the director of the Recreation and Leisure Services for the county, said the grand opening June 4 will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
He said that the park was built at a cost of $100,000 and that another $10,000 was spent on amenities, including park benches. Leadership McDuffie provided the landscaping.
He said a paved parking area will be added later.
-- Bill Norton
