A court dispute between the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the Quansoo Beach Association has been put on hold after the two sides have reached a temporary agreement about the placement of a locked gate on the road that leads to Quansoo Beach.

The gate has been moved further down the Quansoo Road, closer to the entrance to the south shore beach, Sheriff’s Meadow executive director Adam Moore confirmed this week.

“The gate has been moved and from what I can tell all has gone smoothly,” Mr. Moore said.

Sheriff’s Meadow filed a lawsuit in Dukes County superior court against the beach association on June 4 after talks broke down over placement of the gate. The gate, which historically has been locked from June until Labor Day and open only to people who hold keys to the private Quansoo Beach Association, became a point of contention last year. Sheriff’s Meadow is the owner of 145 acres at Quansoo as a result of a generous bequest from the late Florence (Flipper) Harris five years ago. Two years ago the foundation sold six acres of adjacent land to the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank; the land also had been gifted by Mrs. Harris with the stated intention that it be sold to create an endowment for the Quansoo property.

But the location of the gate remained a sticking point. Sheriff’s Meadow wanted the gate moved further down the road and off its property, while the beach association claimed it had prescriptive rights to keep the gate where it was.

In June the foundation went to court with a strongly worded complaint, accusing the association of trespass and asking for a jury trial and damages.

Soon after, the stalemate between the two sides broke.

A joint motion was filed in superior court that pushes back deadlines for discovery and other procedures for 17 months. The case has not been dismissed.

Mr. Moore said this week he is hopeful that the two sides can reach a permanent agreement by next year. “They agreed to have this trial period . . . and now we will negotiate something permanent,” he said.