Boston Globe — R.I. shoreline fire district sues to stop path to beach from being opened to public

A Weekapaug Fire District security officer speaks with residents of Weekapaug, in Westerly, RI. Although access to the shore is open to the public after September, some paths are not accessible during the summer season. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Dec 26, 2023

By Brian Amaral — “This lawsuit is about two things: property rights and abuse of government process for political gain,” Weekapaug Fire District moderator Bob McCann said of the would-be shore access path in Westerly

PROVIDENCE — A Rhode Island shoreline fire district is going to court to prevent a strip of land in Westerly from being identified as a way for the public to get to the beach.

The Weekapaug Fire District’s suit over a would-be shore access path called Spring Avenue Extension was filed Friday in state Superior Court. It is the latest front in an ongoing battle over shore access in Rhode Island generally, and this 50-foot-wide strip of property in particular. Some in Westerly have pressed the state Coastal Resources Management Council to designate Spring Avenue Extension as a path that the public can use to get to the beach. But the Weekapaug Fire District says the case is clear: The fire district itself owns Spring Avenue Extension, and the broader public has no right to use it.

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