Halifax Select Board Reinstates Beach Gate, Directs Title Search for Disputed Beach Property

Select Board · Meeting of July 14, 2026

Halifax Select Board reinstated a temporary beach gate and opened a title search into who owns 4th Avenue Beach. The board voted 3-0 Monday to extend the temporary vehicle barrier at the end of 4th Avenue through Labor Day, September 7, 2026, after neighbors told the board that out-of-town jet ski users returned within days of the gate coming down following the July 4 weekend. Deputy Police Chief Ted Benner, who reported that officers have written roughly 40 citations totaling about $1,900 at the beach this season, advised the board that 4th Avenue's legal status as a public way must be determined before any permanent solution is installed.

Town Administrator Steven was directed to research costs for both a land survey and a title search, after resident Steve Goodman said independent research at the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds has so far failed to confirm town ownership of the property. The board also pinned Halifax's first female police sergeant, Michelle McIntyre, approved 13 line item budget transfers totaling more than $36,000 — six drawn from a vacant Council on Aging clerical position — and heard the town administrator warn that a single sweeping public records request now being quoted at $6,000 in staff fees could generate an additional $80,000 in town counsel review costs, nearly half the town's $170,000 annual legal budget.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,082 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.