Raflo Park Bike Depot Earns Best New Renovation Award

The new bicycle depot installed at Raflo Park in Leesburg won praise this month during the 2013 Virginia Recreation and Park Society Conference in Williamsburg.

Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department won the Best New Renovation/Addition (Parks, Playgrounds, Blueways, Greenways or Trails) for the depot, which including bike rack, a screened restroom, lighting, an air pump and water fountains for park patrons and their dogs. The depot is along the W&OD Trail at Harrison Street, near downtown Leesburg.

“We chose Ralfo Park because there is an existing shelter and adjacent parking, in addition to its proximity to downtown,” said Rich Williams, Leesburg’s Parks & Recreation Director in a release from the town. “The bike depot provides a great stopping point for bicyclists on the W&OD Trail, who want to go into downtown Leesburg.”

The project came as a partnership between the Town, the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, which owns and maintains the W&OD Trail, and the Friends of the W&OD Trail.  Both authority and friends group each donated $3,000 to offset the cost of construction. Parks & Open Space Planner Bill Ference designed the facility, which cost $17,000 to construct. 

For more information about the VRPS, visit www.vrps.com.