A fence erected along a Constance Bay beach is stoking tensions between beachgoers and waterfront property owners who have long been at odds over whether the beach should be accessible to the public. Most residents who own waterfront properties in the area have signs up claiming their property rights extend to the shoreline. This past May, a more robust enclosure went up at a rental property at 121 Lane St.
It's not the first time a property owner has blocked access to the beach with a fence. This time, it's more than just a line in the sand. It runs across a section of the beach and into the water – and it's causing a split in the tight-knit riverside community over public use of the beach.
Who owns the beach? Boy's death reignites debate over safety at 'The Point' Constance Bay beach patrol in dispute "A lot of people are so burnt-out by it," said frequent beachgoer Juliann Wright. "It makes me sad too but I'm not quite ready to give up yet. "The beach should be available to everybody, not just a select few that think they are entitled to it.
" Property owners, beachgoers at odds Like others who frequent the Constance Bay waterfront, Wright lives elsewhere in the community. She described her visits to the beach as something like "heaven." Wright said her personal paradise has been disrupted by property owners trying to exclude people from stretches of the beach.
She said that while she often walks along the beach, those excursions have been leaving her "feeling uncomfortab.