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Halifax board extends temporary 4th Ave Beach gate, orders land title and survey research
Summary
After months of summer overcrowding and enforcement struggles at 4th Ave Beach, the Halifax Select Board directed police to reinstall a temporary gate through Sept. 7, 2026, and asked staff to obtain cost estimates for a land survey and tax-title research to clarify ownership and options for longer-term access controls.
The Halifax Select Board voted Tuesday to direct the Halifax Police Department to reinstall a temporary gate at the 4th Avenue beach through Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, and to have the town administrator research the cost of a land survey and tax-title search to clarify ownership and options for more permanent access controls.
Residents and parks officials told the board that large, out-of-town groups and jet-skis overwhelmed the beach area this summer, producing safety concerns, litter and neighborhood impacts. Mike (parks commissioner) said he had limited staff and resources and that temporary measures had helped but were insufficient: “It was unmanageable… I got one individual down there. That’s all I got,” he said. Several neighbors credited a short-term, chain-style gate with reducing abuses during recent weekends.
Speaker Steve Goodman, who identified himself with an address in the neighborhood, told the board he tracked activity and supported a permanent gate. He urged the board to require clearer meeting minutes from the parks commission and offered to help neighbors organize stewardship.
Deputy Police Chief Ted (transcript alternately spelled Benner/Bennett) advised the board that a temporary gate worked as a deterrent but cautioned that any permanent closure or a gate moved further up 4th Ave could raise public-rights-of-way and turning/traffic issues. He recommended surveying the land to determine whether the path to the ramp is a public way and where authority to close it would lie.
Select Board member Jonathan Seelig moved to have the town administrator obtain cost estimates for a land survey and tax-title research and to extend the temporary gate as previously used; the motion passed unanimously. The board also asked staff to explore the legal feasibility of designating the area as a “residents-only” beach and to return with findings.
Next steps: the police department will reinstall the temporary gate as directed; town staff will solicit pricing estimates for a land survey and tax-title research and report back to the board, and the Select Board may revisit the gate or a policy change before Sept. 7 if new information emerges.
