A Placerville skate park's growing popularity among bicyclists has spawned a move to create a separate BMX facility on El Dorado County'swest slope.
BMX riders, however, said they're surprised and skeptical of the park idea, launched by skateboarders and El Dorado County officials.
BMX enthusiast Trevor Anderson, 19, an employee at the Golden Spoke Bike Shop in Placerville, said a proposed dirt track for bicyclists would be better than nothing, but it wouldn't substitute for Joe's Skate Park on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.
"A lot of us enjoy having the (concrete) park as an option," Anderson said.
El Dorado supervisors recently voted to continue mixed use of the existing park Monday through Thursday, but allow only skateboards Friday through Sunday.
Supervisors also mandated that BMX bikes have rear brakes and no metal pegs on their axles.
Members of the skate park advisory committee and county staff said an influx of BMX riders, including many from outside the county, has caused significant damage to the park's metal coping. Safety also is a major concern, they said, citing a potential for serious injuries if bicyclists and skateboarders collide.
"The park was designed for skateboarders," saidKelley Rogers, a skateboarder and advisory committee member.
He said the metal pegs on some bikes' axles have created a safety hazard. "The gouges and nicks on the coping will throw you off the board," he said.
Area BMX riders flock to Placerville because most skate parks don't allow bicycles, Rogers said.
William Roby, director of the El Dorado Community Foundation, said he hopes to organize a meeting of BMX riders by the first week in January to discuss a BMX track. He envisions a youth-led project, possibly funded through the foundation's Grants Advisory Board for Youth.
"It would be great to create a regional park," he said.
Roby has posted fliers at the skate park, urging BMX riders to call him.
Anderson saw the fliers and plans to attend the meeting. Dirt tracks and concrete parks serve different functions, he said.
Concrete facilities allow for stunts that can't be performed on a dirt track. The concrete parks also are preferred by younger riders who initially find dirt tracks a bit frightening, Anderson said.
"A lot of BMX riders and skateboarders are coming up here because it's such a great park," he said.
BMX riders can alter their bikes, using plastic pegs or removing them entirely, to prevent damage to the skate park, he said. Anderson also believes the two groups can work together to safely share the park.
"I don't want to see us lose the privilege to be able to be there," he said.
