Idaho barbed-wire fence next to path must come down

| March 13, 2015 9:00 PM

BOISE (AP) - A southwest Idaho home owners association in the city of Eagle that put up a barbed-wire fence next to a walking path must come take it down due to the danger it presents, city officials say.

The Idaho Statesman in Boise reports that the Eagle City Council voted 4-0 on Tuesday to have the Laguna Pointe Home Owners Association replace the 3,575-foot fence with something safer.

"If you're riding a bike or walking, it's so close you could fall into it and get hurt," said Bill Vaughan, city zoning administrator.

Eagle used eminent domain to obtain easements on a 1-mile stretch to link walking and biking paths to Garden City and Boise. A settlement allowed the subdivision to put up a fence, and it's meant to prevent trespassing on private property as well as stop potential poachers from fishing in the private lake.

Barbed wire isn't specifically banned, but Vaughan said city officials "didn't contemplate that someone would actually do a barbed-wire fence in a subdivision's common area."

Laguna Pointe Subdivision is advertised as a waterfront estate home community around a 43-acre lake with lot prices ranging from $300,000 to $1 million. It also lists benefits of the subdivision as privacy. A real estate salesman who answered the phone at the number listed for the Laguna Pointe Subdivision declined to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday.

Eagle officials said that acceptable materials for the fence are vinyl, block, brick or wrought iron. The council plans to revisit the matter on March 24, when it will adopt a final decision. The subdivision has 14 days from then to ask the council to reconsider.

The popular Boise River Greenbelt runs through Boise, in some places with paths on both sides of the river, and connects with parks scattered along the river throughout the city.

Officials in nearby cities have been working to link the entire pathway system so that it can run without interruption from Lucky Peak Dam east of Boise to Idaho State Highway 55 in the west in Eagle.