Boys & Girls Club to look for new spot

Lauren Vane

A 2-acre triangle of property adjacent to Westmont School will not be

considered as the future home of the Boys & Girls Club.

The Ocean View School District board of trustees decided at the

April 15 board meeting against establishing a district advisory

committee to recommend use of the property. The decision brings an

end to a heated battle between the club and Westmont neighbors who

were actively against the project from the beginning.

District Superintendent Jim Tarwater said the issue can be

revisited, but for now the board has decided they are not interested

in pursuing use of the property for a Boys & Girls Club.

“Right now, it was put on hold,” Tarwater said.

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

has met resistance since then from nearby residents who said the club

would bring increased traffic and lower property values.

Neighbors vocally opposed the club moving into their neighborhood

by speaking out at board meetings and producing fliers. They said the

proposed space was not adequate for the number of children the club

would serve.

“It’s going to be very high use,” neighbor Lil Kelly said at a

March board meeting.

In a flier she distributed, Kelly cited that the Boys & Girls Club

would bring an extra 2,500 children to the area each year.

Now that the board has decided not to evaluate the land usage,

Kelly said she feels the school board listened to the neighbors’

concerns.

The school board’s decision was positive for both the neighborhood

and the Boys & Girls Club, Kelly said.

“I hope the Boys & Girls Club finds a site that’s going to work

for them,” said Kelly, a 26-year resident of the Westmont

neighborhood.

The Boys & Girls Club had proposed building a facility with seven

classrooms to be used by both the club and Westmont School, including

a preschool facility and a computer technology room. The Boys & Girls

Club was in the process of raising $6 million for the project.

“I think it’s unfortunate; it’s the best project for the kids in

the community,” said Tanya Hoxsie, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of

Huntington Valley.

The decision was a blow to the club, but they are weary of

fighting neighbors on the issue, Hoxsie said.

“I’m just tired of it,” Hoxsie said.

The club will not pursue building a club at the Westmont site any

further, Hoxsie said. Instead, they will look for a new spot.

“We have a good plan and it’s not the only piece of land anywhere

and there’s a lot of folks behind us,” Hoxsie said.

The conflict over the club has brought the neighborhood together

in discussion of the issue, Kelly said.

“I think one of the things that is good is that a lot of people

have a lot more interest in our local school than there was before,”

Kelly said.

Now that the Boys & Girls Club will not be occupying the land,

there has been talk in the community about possibly cleaning up the

area and making it a park, Tarwater said. No formal plans are in

place and for now, it’s just talk, Tarwater said.