If we build it, will they...go around?

My townhouse community is next door to a large apartment complex and some of their residents aren't very nice (of course, the same can be said of some of OUR residents!) There is a fence between part of our property and the complex - it's on their property line, but is very old and falling down in several places. Naturally, some of the residents cut through the open areas to our community and on to the grocery store across the street or the gas station's store on the corner.

The residents who live alongside the fence have asked the Board to put up our own fence, and we had obtained some bids to build a 6 foot wood fence. The vendors all said it could be painted with graffiti resistant paint and the posts would be placed in cement to make the fence stronger.

While discussing all this at last week's meeting, our security officer (also a local cop)suggested the entire idea was a waste of money because people have managed to tear down the apartment complex's fence (a chain link) and would do the same with ours. Even if we went with a vinyl or iron fence, people would find ways over or through it and the board would have wasted several thousand dollars of Association money.

He suggested that we consider asking the apartment manager to repair or replace the fence, which we did some time ago - and were basically told to pound sand (they said it was too expensive, wouldn't stop the trespassing - and if pushed, would take the whole thing down.) I'm not at all inclined to fix someone else's fence and said so. The officer then suggested that if we go ahead with building a fence, we should leave several areas open in hopes people would use that instead of knocking down fence panels, climbing over them, etc.

(Our property manager suggested that what we really need is a fence with poison ivy embedded in it {she was half serious}. Personally, I'd prefer a moat with Nile crocodiles and pirahna fish, but this is the Midwest.. Or maybe an electric fence that would shock the you know what out of a resident of either community who doesn't seem to understand what sidewalks are for...)

Anyway, I got to thinking about a thick hedge that grows lots of thorns in the branches and wondered if that might be a decent compromise. It may be easier and cheaper to keep up and at least slow folks down. It might also be more attractive than a broken down fence facing the homeowners.

What say you? Does anyone have any suggestions on fences that might work or should we find a way to compel the complex to at least take the fence down so that part of the property would look halfway decent? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions and comments!

Glen, the razor wire is a good idea – too bad county ordinances won’t allow it! For a moment, I also thought about a brick wall - some of the apartment complexes in the area have iron fence panels with a type of brick post. They're very pretty, but completely out of our price range, I'm sure.

Michelle and Terry, I like your ideas – it’s true that a fence won’t stop everyone, but we were thinking surely it would slow some people down. I was also nervous about a wood fence, not only because it might be as durable as we’d like, but I also notice what happened to the HOA community across the street. The people in the same apartment complex often sprayed gang signs on a fence (also wood) that aligned the street – the association got fed up and painted the thing with the graffiti resistant paint. It’s been up for almost a year now, and seems to be helping.

I will look into the pyracantha – if we have to go with a wood fence because of finances, a hedge of this stuff growing behind it , plus the no trespassing signs on both sides of the fence might help. Wish us luck!