News-Letter

Many residents also complain that the loss of the stadium has resulted in a decrease in police presence. "When the stadium was here, you'd see police patrolling the street all the time. This doesn't happen anymore," said one life-long resident who requested to go unnamed.

Yet many residents do not seem too concerned about safety and cite the few large profile crimes as anomalies.

"We mostly get the same juvenile delinquency like petty vandalism that you'd get anywhere," said Regina Boyce, a board member of the Waverly Improvement Association and resident of Waverly for four and a half years.

"What happens in Waverly is the same thing that happens in Charles Village, petty juvenile crime."

While residents acknowledge the negative effects of the stadium's exit, many are optimistic about Waverly's future, pointing towards the community's diversity, tight-knight community and historic charm as the source of its potential rebound.

"I know everyone on my block and we look out for one another," Boyce said. "I love and trust my neighbors." Events like picnics and community art projects serve to bring the neighborhood together and give Waverly residents a sense of unity.

John, a resident of Waverly for 10 years, praises the diversity found in the community. "There's a good mix of people; racially and economically diverse."

Residents cite Waverly's historic character as a source of its potential to regenerate its businesses and overcome the devastating loss of the stadium, which served as the backbone of the neighborhood for so long.

It is walking through the neighborhood where one can observe Waverly's historic character.

Yet history is a doubled-edge sword, and reminders of the neighbor's previous prosperity also reinforce the fact that these days are past. One only needs to see the stately marquee of the Boulevard Theater, which is still present on Greenmount Avenue.

The Boulevard was once a neighborhood institution that had to shut its doors in 1989. Its grand marquee, now faded, still remains, but the space is currently occupied by one of the many discount stores that line Waverly's main shopping street. The same is true of the once grand Victorian homes that harken back to days of greater affluence in the neighborhood.

While many bemoan the loss of the stadium's business and its related businesses in Waverly, residents are just as quick to defend their neighborhood. Boyce maintains that her neighborhood "feels like home."

Residents profess pride in the tight-knit community in which they live; that they know all of their neighbors, and look out for one another.

Despite recent economic troubles, Waverly residents are looking toward the future. The site of the stadium remains a place that residents can still rally around - a neighborhood YMCA. A fully equipped gym and community center, the space is open for families and individuals of all ages.

Even in the face of the challenges of a struggling local economy, poor public schooling and increased petty crime, Waverly residents remain deeply attached and committed to their neighborhood.

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