Augusta, Maine is a tough place to be a skateboarder: Skateboarding is currently banned on public streets, public sidewalks, and public parking lots. It would, technically, be illegal to ride a skateboard to the new Capital City Skate shop that just opened, or to skate off with your new purchase from the store. And SkateboardParks.com describes the city's old Gage Street Skatepark as a "55 by 110 foot park with quarter pipes, rails, and middle platform. Operated by the City of Augusta." 55 by 110 feet? Ouch. But things are looking up: In its Spring 2008 grant cycle, The Tony Hawk Foundation contributed a $10,000 grant towards a proposed 15,000 concrete skatepark that is in the works in Augusta, and Mayor Roger Katz has said he's willing to revisit the restrictions.

Check out this vote of support from the editorial page of this morning's Kennebec Journal: Skateboarding not a crime; look again at bans. Here's an excerpt you might like to consider showing to the editorial board of your own local paper:

Yes, skateboarders can startle and even intimidate pedestrians. So
too can bicyclists, people who ride motorcycles, drive cars -- and even
fellow pedestrians.
So we welcome what Erik and Chris Peterson
are trying to do in Augusta, by opening a store and marketing Augusta
as a destination for skateboarders. We're heartened that Mayor Roger
Katz wants to reopen talks about his city's restrictions.
Skateboarding, done right, is a healthy, environmentally friendly pastime. It is not a crime.