Residents oppose Boys and Girls Club

Lauren Vane

Neighbors of Westmont School spoke out Tuesday night against a

proposed Boys and Girls Club on a site adjacent to the school, which

straddles the border of North Huntington Beach and Westminster.

Residents made their opinions known at a meeting of the Ocean View

School District Board of Trustees.

The Boys and Girls Club brought the idea to the board last year

and has met resistance since then from nearby residents who say the

club will bring increased traffic and lower property values.

“I think that a few folks in the neighborhood have passed around

bad information,” said CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington

Valley Tanya Hoxsie.

Lil Kelly, a 26-year resident of the Westmont neighborhood, and at

least one other neighbor circulated fliers, expressing their concerns

about the proposed project.

“It’s going to be very high use,” Kelly said, also citing in her

flier that the Boys and Girls Club would bring an extra 2,500

children to the area each year.

Neighbors said they were not disputing that the Boys and Girls

Club was a positive program for children. They did not believe,

however, that the Westmont school site is large enough for the

40,000-square foot facility that the club estimates will serve from

200 to 400 children a day.

“This is not an attack on the Boys and Girls Club,” Kelly said.

“This is too big a project.”

Hoxsie disagreed and said that the site is perfect for the club

and that it will only mean positive changes to the school and the

neighborhood.

“Boys and Girls Clubs -- there’s no hidden agendas here -- we’re

just trying to do a good thing for the community,” Hoxsie said.

In addition to building the facility, the Boys and Girls Club will

provide seven classrooms to be used by both the club and Westmont

School, including a preschool facility and a computer technology

room, according to Hoxsie. The Boys and Girls Club is in the process

of raising $6 million for the project. If it is approved, the school

can apply for joint-use funding that could add $1.4 million to be

applied to construction costs, Hoxsie said.

Hoxsie said that Westmont is an ideal location for the club

because there are no nearby Boys and Girls Clubs to serve children

living in North Huntington Beach.

Sharon Holland, the president of Ocean View School District Board

of Trustees, said she believes the neighbors who are circulating the

fliers are stirring up trouble.

“I think they’re just agitating the community,” Holland said.

“What they’re saying is wrong because the Westmont children will

benefit.”

Holland said the concept for the Boys and Girls Club has been in

the works for a while and it is a project that will benefit the

entire community.

“The Boys and Girls Club provides not only a place for children to

come for recreation, but it also provides before- and after-school

care for families who can’t afford it,” Holland said.

The board of trustees has not taken any action on the proposed

plan, which is expected to appear on the agenda in the coming weeks.

A town hall meeting will be held March 9 at 7 p.m. at Westmont

School, 8251 Heil Ave., for neighbors to discuss the issue with

representatives from the Boys and Girls Club.