It was a celebration at the corner of Clearview Street and East Washington Lane Wednesday evening.

Marlene Anderson, who lives on Clearview Street, said a park at the intersection by the Washington Lane SEPTA station used to be overgrown and generally felt neglected.

That was the case until the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society reclaimed the lot so that it could maintain the ground on the lot. That improved things.

But then the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), which has its offices at Awbury Arboretum and works to "mobilize its communities" as stewards of the region's watershed, according to its website, got involved as well. The community had requested that TTF work to be even more invested in the clean-up effort, so in the summer of 2010, it started to gather input from residents to see what could be done there.

The result was on display Wednesday. The Clearview Community Park has native flowers and grasses planted throughout its environs and is intended to be a place where neighborhood members can gather. There's also hope that local schools will be able to use it as an outdoor classroom.

"It's a big improvement from what it was," Anderson said. "It's a nice area for the kids."

Because the plants are local, TTF Executive Director Julie Slavet said, they won't require as much maintenance and watering in future years. They're also intended to better drain rainwater, which will ideally prevent water from piling up so readily in the flood-prone area.

Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Howard Neukrug, Chew & Belfield Neighbors Club President the Rev. Chester Williams and TTF Board President Gerry Kaufman were on hand to cut a ribbon to officially mark the park's opening.

Williams urged people to form a circle and hold hands as he spoke during the dedication. He praised the active spirit of the community's residents.

"This would not be if we were sitting down," he said. "This park can't get no further if we don't get the volunteers."

Neukrug said the moment was particularly meaningful for him after the stress he felt during the recent flooding and storms in the area.

"I think you've got a lot of real good here in this community," he said.

After the ribbon was cut, people made their way over to nearby Belfield Avenue to take a look at the Philadelphia Water Department's newest green street in the city.

It was created as part of the department's Green City, Clean Waters program, which is intended to help the city manage its stormwater better and to keep raw sewage from flowing into its rivers and streams.

There are trees on the street that just look like regular trees, but they're not. There's infrastructure underneath them that allows them to capture water before it goes into the sewer system and to hold the water underground in a stone bed. It eventually is absorbed by the sub-surface below.

"It also helps the tree last longer and do better," TTF Outreach & Education Coordinator Ashley Schmid said.

Water Department Environmental Engineer Jillian Simmons said this project is intended to manage runoff from one acre*. The city plans on doing similar runoff management work on close to 10,000 acres.

*Clarification: The article has been changed to clarify that the city plans on managing runoff from one acre on the Belfield Avenue site.