Montague town council has denied a request to establish a Boys and Girls Club in the community.

The vote happened Monday night at a packed town hall meeting in Montague, P.E.I.

Adam Ross attended the meeting.

"We're disappointed that the council stood up for the voice of a few over the voice of many and ultimately the voice of those few is impeding the progress of many in that community," he said.

He said the initiative "shouldn't have been met with so much opposition."

It upsets me a lot. It makes me not want to raise my own children here someday. - Lydia Acorn

Most of the people who spoke at the meeting were in favour of turning a local house into a club to expand services to the area. Supporters wore bright green t-shirts and spoke of the need for such services in Montague, but last week there was pushback from nearby residents.

Boys and Girls Club executive director Krista Shaw said she contacted the town before the house deal was finalized and was told the club should be fine to go ahead in that spot. But then there was backlash from neighbours, who said they don't want the extra traffic and noise, and worried it would have a negative impact on their property values.

Backlash from neighbours People pack Montague town council for Boys and Girls Club vote.

One of the neighbours, Rhonda MacLeod, spoke at the meeting. MacLeod, who sits on the town's planning board, said neighbours are not against the youth club, but don't want the extra traffic and possible noise in a residential neighbourhood.

"I am not against children or the Boys and Girls Club, just where they want to go," she said.

There is nothing in the town's bylaws that allows any type of facility that cares for 11 or more children in a residential area, even though there are several in the community. The planning committee put a recommendation to council to allow these types of establishments in R1 and R2 zones, but not R3 where the Boys and Girls Club bought the house. Last night council voted and passed that recommendation. MacLeod did not vote on the recommendation, but was present during discussion.

After the motion passed the crowd erupted in shock and many people voiced their disappointment, including Lydia Acorn, who works with youth in the community.

"It's upsetting. It made me feel disgusted not knowing that the kids ... That there's not going to be a safe place. That they're still going to be roaming the streets," said Acorn.

'I want this to happen in Montague'

Lydia Acorn works with youth in Montague and supports Boys and Girls Club .

"Kids won't have like healthy snacks, as some people said, or a place to do their homework. It upsets me a lot. It makes me not want to raise my own children here someday."

Acorn plans to keep advocating for the club.

"I want this to happen in Montague."

The Rotary Club of Montague donated $75,000 to help the Boys and Girls Club pay for the home.

Representatives from the Boys and Girls Club say they are extremely disappointed with the decision. They don't know what steps they will take next with the house they have purchased.

'They're not congregating on the lawn'

Andrea MacNeill is president of the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottetown. She is surprised by the level of outcry and said a club in Montague would not be a distraction.

"They're not staying and visiting, they're not congregating on the lawn, except for maybe if we had a special activity perhaps on the weekend and you know, I don't think that's any different than perhaps a funeral or a wake across the street at the funeral home," she said.

Club officials say that because the group would need commercial space, the organization is looking for property in the Main Street area of Montague. However, the options are limited and the spaces found so far are not of the right size and aren't close to amenities like parks.

MacNeill is not sure what the organization will do next.

"There's a portion of me that says, 'Let's put the sign up "for sale",' and there's a portion of me that says, 'You know what, maybe we can still salvage something out of it.' I don't know what the outcome will be," she said.