There was no question on the thoughts of Sima supporters Monday evening as city council defeated a motion to provide $65,700 to the Friends of Mount Sima group in its efforts to reopen the ski hill.

As soon as Councillors Betty Irwin, Mike Gladish and Jocelyn Curteanu and Mayor Dan Curtis raised their hands against providing the funding, cries of "Boo!” erupted from the audience crowded into council chambers.

The hill, which was operated by the Great Northern Ski Society (GNSS), closed in the midst of its second season of summer operations amid significant financial problems.

While the GNSS is working on getting out of debt, the Friends of Mount Sima are working on getting the hill reopened.

"Very discouraged,” summed up Friends of Sima member Laurie Henderson, reacting to the vote outside council chambers, arguing council had just breached faith with group.

Henderson said the new organization has met every challenge the city has put to it in working to get the hill back in action.

Earlier in the meeting, prior to the decision, she argued voting against the funding would be seen as an insult. It would also mean "the city will be responsible for mothballing the facility,” Henderson said.

Council, she pointed out, had said it wanted to see community support for the hill – and the group has gotten pledges for more than 800 passes to be purchased.

The group has done everything it can to cut down the budget to run the hill while still running a safe facility, she has told council on several occasions.

Council members questioned last week whether the Friends of Sima would be incorporating to a formal society.

Henderson told members in her presentation Monday that paperwork has been filed, and it is now only a matter of days until that happens.

The four council members who voted against the funding noted a number of reasons for their vote – that there was too much haste in it, more funding will be needed for the hill that the city just doesn't have, more planning needs to be done to reopen Sima and so on.

Outside council chambers, Sima supporters continually repeated the word "disappointed” as they reacted to the decision.

It was argued by council members that the hill could close for the year, leaving the Friends of Sima more time to plan for a 2014 opening and look at what went wrong for the GNSS.

That argument didn't sit well with Coun. Kirk Cameron, who questioned whether the momentum would still be there in a year, and supporters of the hill.

Last night, Henderson could not say what the vote means for the Friends of Sima, noting the group will have to discuss it at their next meeting.

Brendan Hanley, the territory's medical officer of health, was also at Monday's meeting.

He noted his disappointment with council's vote, suggesting the group could lose momentum if the hill is shuttered for a year.

Rather than opening for another winter season this year, it will mean having to resuscitate a closed hill in 2014, Hanley suggested.

A tremendous amount of work has been done by volunteers of various backgrounds, he added.

A lot of experience went into coming up with a financial plan for the hill.

Despite the vote against the funding, Hanley did note that there didn't seem to be a question by anyone on council about the health and social benefits the hill brings.

He stated those benefits as essentially three: family, fitness and fun.

Skiing and snowboarding are sports entire families can enjoy together, the doctor pointed out.

The fitness value is obvious, Hanley said, then pointing out that there's value too in the "sheer fun” that can be had at the hill.

And that's not to mention the economic and community benefits that come with it as well.

That was much of the focus of David Petkovich's presentation to council as he pointed to the jobs and the economic stimulus to other businesses that Sima provides.

He and Henderson addressed council prior to the meeting, reiterating the importance of the hill on the community.

Petkovich suggested mothballing Sima would mean watching a valuable asset deteriorate, Yukoners spending their ski dollars to head to resorts Outside and professionals leaving the territory.

"This would be a shame and, further I think, it would be shameful,” Petkovich said.

He then took issue with individual council members and comments they've made in the past, questioning where Mayor Dan Curtis' leadership was.

He also noted his surprise at Coun. Mike Gladish's stance not to provide the funding, given the councillor's role as manager of the Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club.

Petkovich told Coun. Betty Irwin that while he doesn't doubt there have been negative comments about Sima made, similar complaints were probably made when other recreational facilities were built.

The naysayers, he noted, have not come forward at a council meeting to state their case.

"I ask you all to make the right decision,” he said to lengthy applause from the gallery.

Outside council chambers following the vote, Petkovich said he was "disappointed and dismayed” with council's decision.

While council voted against the funding, it did vote in favour of taking over title for a groomer the Yukon government is purchasing from the GNSS for $55,000, with that money to go toward paying off debts owed by the GNSS to WildPlay for the adventure park it had on the hill.