Residents celebrate Vernon Hills skate park's opening weekend

Several people Saturday were taking advantage of the opening of a new skate park this weekend at the Sullivan Community Center/Family Aquatic Center parking lot area in Vernon Hills.

Holly Aronoff of Vernon Hills and her husband, Ryan, were at the Vernon Hills skatepark with their 3 children.

Her brother, Billy Coulon and his company, Evergreen Skateparks of Portland, Oregon, built the skate park.

"It just felt like it was meant to be when I saw they were building a park here," said Holly Aronoff, adding that she told her brother, who also built a skate park in Villa Park, of the possibility to bid on the $305,000 Vernon Hills Park District project. "I was like, 'Billy, you have to try to build it in our neighborhood.' It's an art form for him."

Due to social distancing guidelines, only 10 park district residents will be allowed to use the skate park at a time, during reserved 1-hour time slots.

Reservations must be made at www.vhparkdistrict.org and are only available to Vernon Hills residents. IDs are checked at the entrance and park district staff and Vernon Hills police monitor the skate park. Face coverings are required.