Dallas fence puts neighbours at odds
If you live in Dallas, your perspective on how much access people should have to get to the river depends on what side of the fence you sit.
But, for city council, there should be no fence at all and it ordered a pair of homeowners to take down a gate they erected on city property.
Two sides in an ongoing dispute over access to the river were in city council chambers on Aug. 9 to plead their case to local politicians.
Curtis Schlosser owns a property on Urban Road and he and his neighbour put up a fence in April to block public access to a path that leads to the Thompson River.
The homeowners said in the last few years they’ve been the victims of break-ins and vandalism, and have seen drug dealers in the area.
They have called the police five times in the last couple of years.
“I don’t think we should have to be held at gunpoint in our own home,” Schlosser told council.
He asked the city to consider keeping a gate in place that would be locked at night, but still provide access for residents during the day.
Sixty residents in the area signed a petition asking the city to take down the fence and free up the access completely.
Mary Potestio, who led the petition effort, said she’s lived in the area for more than 30 years and has never seen the kind of trouble described by Schlosser.
She took exception to the characterization of the neighbourhood and questioned why it has become an issue after all these years.
“We’re a really conscientious neighbourhood,” she said.
City staff told council part of the creation of the subdivision at the time was to require public access to the river every 200 metres.
There are some 100 similar type of access points to the river around Kamloops.
In the end, council asked staff to work with both sides to come up with a compromise.
Mayor Peter Milobar called the issue tough, but said he couldn’t support a private gate.
He suggested the two sides have a starting point in that they agree they want the public to have access to the river and they don’t want
people in the area for nefarious reasons.
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