A Placerville skate park that closed in May because of criminal activities and threats to public safety will reopen un- der the supervision of volunteers from a local church.

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors agreed last week to allow Green Valley Community Church to oversee Joe's Skate Park. Tim Fulton, a pastor at the church, said volunteers initially will operate the park on Saturdays.

"We would like to see a chance for the park to succeed and build on that success," Fulton told the supervisors.

The board ordered the skate park closed in May after a 17-year-old boy was severely beaten near the park and the suspects were identified as people who hung around the park.

The Placerville Rotary Club built the skate park on county-owned land with about $500,000 in community donations. It had been largely un- supervised since opening in 2003 and had become the focal point for vandalism and other criminal activities.

The Board of Supervisors and Placerville City Council adopted ordinances last year requiring users to wear safety gear and adhere to specific rules of conduct. The measures were designed to make it easier for sheriff's deputies and police officers to deal with users who violated the rules.

But even the signs listing the rules were destroyed by vandals.

Since the park was closed in May, a task force of city and county staff members and community representatives has explored management options, including contracting with a professional skate park management firm.

Jordan Postlewaite of the county Parks and Recreation Department said Southern California-based Action Park Alliance submitted a proposal to operate the park at a cost of $150,000 a year. In addition to supervising the park, the firm would offer skateboarding lessons and summer skate camps. It also would be able to host professional competitions, Postlewaite said.

The biggest obstacle, he said, was the cost and the company's request for a three-year commitment.

Postlewaite said the task force believed the community could raise $75,000, and the county had budgeted about $12,000. But $63,000 more would be needed.

Several people said they would prefer professional management if money were no object.

Laurel Brent-Bumb, El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce executive director, argued that a professionally run park offering competitive events could draw visitors and tax dollars to the community.

But supervisors said the county was not prepared to put up the additional money. Supervisor Jack Sweeney also argued that revenue from the park should go toward improving the facility and not to an out-of-town firm.

Staffing the park with county employees would cost even more than a professionally managed operation, if it were open the same number of hours, Postlewaite said.

Because the county cannot provide liability insurance for volunteers, he said, people serving with Green Valley Community Church or other groups would have to be covered under insurance for their parent organizations.

Fulton said the church has insurance for its volunteers, and Placerville Police Chief George Nielsen offered to train them in conflict resolution.

Park users will be required to wear helmets and pads, and they will have to sign in before they enter.

"We would know who their parents are and who the contacts are," Fulton said.

Skating sessions will be offered according to age group, with mornings re- served for younger skaters and the afternoons for older youths, he said.

Nathan Heacock, an El Dorado High School student, said use shouldn't be restricted to skaters and skateboarders. "Half the people who go there ride bicycles and scooters," he said. "If you're going to spend money to open it, it should benefit all the kids."

Duane Wallace, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado County, which operates out of the National Guard Armory near the skate park, said he supported the move to provide supervised activities.

"You did the right thing in shutting the park," he told the board. "You're also doing the right thing by looking to open it up in a measured way."

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 608-7451.