The Public’s Radio — Weekapaug Fire District takes new legal action against Westerly and Rhode Island

The Quonochontaug Barrier Beach in the Weekapaug section of Westerly. Alex Nunes / The Public’s Radio

Dec 19, 2023

By Alex Nunes — The increasingly litigious shoreline fire district wants to end a state review that could result in a new beach right-of-way being designated in Westerly.

The Weekapaug Fire District filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island Superior Court on Dec. 6, arguing the state’s review of the Sand Trail at the Quonochontaug Barrier Beach for potential designation as a public right-of-way to the ocean should be closed by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.

Weekapaug’s suit says the review that was requested by the town of Westerly violates a 1997 settlement deal between the fire district and town that declares the fire district the owner of the Sand Trail and dictates public use of the road.

Over the summer, the fire district tried to hold the town in contempt of the agreement, but a judge dismissed Weekapaug’s legal motion.

In the new lawsuit, the fire district requests that a judge order Westerly to withdraw its referral of the Sand Trail for a state review, and order CRMC to close the Sand Trail file.

The town and fire district are also adversaries in a separate case before CRMC over a contested right-of-way at Spring Avenue. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office has gotten involved in that case to argue for public access at the barrier beach. The fire district was called out by the ACLU of Rhode Island earlier this month for sending letters to contributors to a GoFundMe campaign supporting efforts to expand public access to the Spring Avenue right-of-way.

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