New Park Under Construction in Mt. Airy

It’s not everyday that a new park is born.

Yvonne Haskins and her team went out last month for the Philly Spring Cleanup.

Their goal—an overgrown patch of land next to the SEPTA depot located in the 6700 block of Germantown Avenue.

“It’s really been a transformation,” Haskins said.  “People keep coming up and telling us how much they like what we’re doing.”

Haskins, along with about a dozen other people, including five SEPTA workers, went to work digging and weeding and planting with the goal of creating a new park.

“It was a real mess in front of the fence there,” said Mt. Airy Business Improvement Director Hollie Malamud-Price.  “Now, we have a park.”

Slowly, piece-by-piece, Haskins has been battling back the invasive species and hard to kill weeds and replacing them with ferns, evergreens and grasses.

“I’m out there every Sunday afternoon,” Haskins said.  “Last Sunday, I was out there, and the SEPTA guys would honk and wave at me.  It’s really been quite an experience.”

The new park even has a name—Trolley Car Park.

“We were really fortunate that Ken Weinstein from the Trolley Car Diner came on board as a sponsor for the park,” Malamud-Price said.  “He’s agreed to sponsor it for three years.”

Malamud-Price added, “People really seem to be excited about having a piece of The Avenue beautified.”