Residents want safety at Sandpoint Beach as shown by a petition circulating on social media in recent days. “I’m happy to see that people want to see the change happen in our beautiful waterfront,” said Ward 7 city councillor Angelo Marignani. However, many don’t want the reconstruction of the beach to take years to accomplish. “Let’s do it now rather than later so kids can still enjoy the park over there and they can still enjoy the scenery, fishing,” suggested Katelynn Smith, who was out for a walk near the beach Tuesday. “There’s so much to be had here and I think the space is so usable. I just hope it doesn’t take 12 years.” Marignani added that he would like to have it done as soon as possible. He said a report by the Lifesaving Society of Canada is expected back soon which he hopes can be presented at council sometime in May. “The report will have all the recommendations put forward by the Lifesavings Society of Canada and that’s exciting because I know that their recommendations will be similar to the one that was unanimously supported by council,” Marignani told CTV News. He’s also expecting a review of all pertinent reports such as the Provincial Coroner’s Report and the Landmark Engineering Report to help council move forward. Sandpoint Beach was fenced off last June following a tragic drowning death involving a 15-year-old. The city opened a review of the Sandpoint Beach Master Plan which involves moving the beach to the east side of the park. As part of the 2026 budget, the city allocated $1.5 million to replace the current playground with a new one and to build a splashpad. The key to getting Sandpoint Beach done in an expeditious way is funding. Marignani said he is aware of a few grants; the city is in a position to apply for that would help take the burden away from taxpayers. “And eventually that fence will become like a fence we see at Reaume Park. That section will be green land, and it will have trees and shade and all of that so that no one will want to go in the water there.”
