Sandpoint Beach is closed to swimmers effective immediately.
The decision has been made to support community safety following a fatal drowning at the beach last month.
According to the city, over the next few weeks city officials will facilitate closing off water access by scheduling staff to be at the beach to inform visitors of the closure.
Additional signage will be installed to remind visitors that the water is dangerous, and fencing will be installed to close off the remainder of the waterfront access.
All measures to close of the water access at Sandpoint are anticipated to be in place by June 24 and water access will remain closed indefinitely.
The sand area around the playground and the parkland will remain open and accessible for families to enjoy.
A man on the beach on Tuesday says he will be extremely upset if the city puts up a fence.
"You're not going to stop me from swimming. Nope. I will cut it down at night, 100 per cent."
He adds that if the city can spend money on the Streetcar, they can spend the money to fix the beach issue.
"Do the plan that they had three years ago in the paper with the vegetation down at that end, the sand down at the other end, nice snack bars, trails and stuff. Don't spend $15-million on housing a trolley, I'd much rather have a beautiful beach," he says. "I mean this is our biggest gem we have around here, not a trolley. And they're going to try to close it off on me? Not a chance, there's not a chance, no way."
A dad was at the beach with his kids on Tuesday afternoon and says he's a little sad they're closing off the water but he understands.
"It's good for the public for safety. So many people have already died here, so I guess the city is doing good for the safety of people."
He adds that his family visits the beach often.
"We do but not for swimming, we come here to the park so they can play here, play in the sand, but we don't go in the water since that incident that happened last year."
Last May, two swimmers - a 25-year-old and a 22-year-old - also drowned near Sandpoint.
Council also directed city administration to review the Sandpoint Beach Master Plan to determine whether the planned work to relocate the beach, modify the existing shoreline, and upgrade amenities will be able to effectively eliminate the risks posed to swimmers.
This action came after a 15-year-old boy drowned at the beach on May 19, 2025.