Last updated on July 25, 2023
If the mark of a great city is its wonderful neighborhoods and spirit of community, then Boston ranks with the greatest. The North End, The South End, Chinatown, Southie –such communities and their close-knit neighborhoods have long been celebrated for their special sense of togetherness and character.
But character doesn’t develop and grow in a vacuum. Traditions need to be supported and enriched. An area like West Broadway with its main street almost entirely lined with apartment buildings, condominiums, shops, restaurants, banks, and a hotel might not seem to be fertile soil for neighborhood building. Most people had not even lived here long enough to be neighbors or have traditions of their own.
Enter the West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) civic organization in South Boston. Established in 2010, it is now led by Nancy and Simon Pongratz and their Board of Directors. Diligently nurturing a community spirit with their inviting web site, the Association shares information, and plans events. Meeting monthly, they invite local police, business leaders, state & city representatives, and elected officials to report on what is happening in the area, including new developments, safety & traffic issues and much more. The Hotel Cambria, CRISPR Therapeutics and other area restaurants, food markets and event venues provide space and food. These venues always welcome the opportunity to introduce themselves to their neighbors.
Last Fall the Association members planted hundreds more daffodils and tulips that are now blossoming. They got bridges painted and trash removed by also encouraging everyone to use the City of Boston 311 App. They urged the steam & gas leak repairs on Foundry Street and got the sidewalks under the Broadway Bridge power washed. They successfully lobbied for the now redesigned traffic flow, the new sidewalks, and the new bike paths all around the area. West Broadway now has the look of a well-tended and inviting place to live and put down roots. It’s a friendly neighborhood—walk into the restaurants, hotel, shops; indeed, just walk or bike around the neighborhood. You will see that people know and greet each other. They feel right at home.
So, it was no surprise that when Mayor Michelle Wu called for a city-wide “love your block” clean-up day last month, over 70 cheery WBNA members and neighborhood volunteers came out to lend a hand—picking up trash, spreading bark mulch, weeding and planting. Now in front of the shops, the C-6 Police Station and lining the streets in the neighborhood, lovely spring flowers are blooming, welcoming a new neighborhood into the Boston Tradition.
WBNA Board of Directors
Simon G. Pongratz (Chair)
David Garten (Vice-Chair)
Nancy Pongratz (Director)
Kathy Hutchins (Director)
Andrew Chang (Director)
