Square grassroots

One of the neighborhoods south of Washington Avenue has a new civic association — and by association a new name.

The Passyunk Square Civic Association held its first official meeting last Tuesday.

About 30 interested residents attended and elected Susan Montella, of the 800 block of Alter Street, as president and Geoff DiMasi, of the 1100 block of East Passyunk Avenue, as vice president.

The group will represent the neighborhood bounded by Washington Avenue and Tasker Street, between Sixth and Broad streets — an area that is experiencing an influx of new residents seeking a safe, affordable section of town.

DiMasi himself moved into the community just two-and-a-half years ago from Center City. He was attracted to the area because of the stores and restaurants, and because he was familiar with the neighborhood through his grandmother, who grew up there in the 1930s.

"I was coming to the neighborhood anyway for those things and I was looking for a place that was also neighborly," DiMasi said. "So it really worked out."

Montella has been in the area for six years, returning to the city after spending most of her life in the suburbs, including Chester County, where she raised sheep.

She recently referred to her block as "a little United Nations."

"You can walk out your front door on Eighth Street and you can hear people speaking in Cambodian, Chinese, Spanish, Italian," Montella said. "You have all the culture they bring with them."

The foundation for Passyunk Square Civic Association was laid about a year-and-a-half ago, DiMasi said, when small groups of neighbors began discussing issues affecting the community. He remembers being surprised to learn the area didn’t have an active civic group.

Two of the first issues discussed were problems with nuisance bars and the conditions of Goldstar Park, on the 600 block of Wharton Street. These issues brought neighbors together, DiMasi said. People started talking to one another more, developed relationships and began addressing problems.

Now after years of neglect — which had made Goldstar a haven for drug dealers and vandals — the park has been cleaned and returned to the neighborhood, thanks largely to the Friends of Goldstar Park, an organization that spun off from those early meetings.

Residents also have confronted the bad bar owners, DiMasi said. Councilman Frank DiCicco and the District Attorney’s Office have backed the neighbors’ cause, as has the Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, which has provided the residents with legal consultation.

"We have been doing a lot more than we could have done if it was just one neighbor, or even a street of neighbors," DiMasi said. "As a bigger group, we’ve really gotten people’s attention."

He is impressed with the cooperation demonstrated by both longtime and newer residents.

"Most of the neighbors who have lived there a long time are willing to work with any neighbor that’s respectful of the neighborhood," DiMasi said. "The people who already live there, they are not afraid of change."

One of the biggest decisions the group had to make so far has been selecting a name. Members debated and researched possibilities for almost eight months before choosing Passyunk Square.

DiMasi said the name came from studying old maps and discovering that Columbus Square once was called Passyunk Square. Members ultimately liked the historical connotations of the name and its link to the similarly named avenue.

During its first meeting, the association established several committees that will address different issues in the neighborhood, such as community relations, fundraising, beautification, communications and safety.

Another committee dedicated to zoning issues will provide business owners and residents with community feedback about the types of commerce and development neighbors want — and don’t want — in the area.

"We are really looking at it as a positive thing," DiMasi said, "a place to get input from the neighborhood, not to control what you do with your house or your business, but to get the feedback that helps you be more successful."

The Passyunk Square Civic Association is in the process of filing to become a nonprofit organization. The group has scheduled its next meeting for March 2 at the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center, Passyunk Avenue and Dickinson Street. More information can be found on the Web at www.passyunk.org.