First of 15 weeping willow trees planted in Northport Village
From left: Village Administrator Roland Buzard, Asharoken Deputy Mayor Pam Pierce, Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch, and Northport Trustee Rich Boziwick joined the National Grid team to plant the first of 15 trees donated to the Village by National Grid following a major pipeline replacement project.
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Updated Wednesday, May 7 at 2pm: A donation from National Grid for the purchase of trees to be planted in Northport Village will not been spent on willow trees only, Village officials told the Journal.
The remaining 13 trees gifted to the Village by National Grid have not yet been selected, Village Administrator Roland Buzard told the Journal today. “We have met with several professionals over the last year for recommendations and will follow their advice,” he added.
The two corkscrew willows planted on Earth Day were chosen due to their historical significance in the area; willow trees were prevalent in the Village as far back as 1894, Buzard said.
Also known as “Golden Curls,” the willows were placed in gardens set back from the sidewalk and pavement, Buzard said. There are presently three corkscrew willows in Village Park, he added.
National Grid donated $7,500 to the Village at the end of its gas line replacement project “to purchase corkscrew weeping willow trees that will grow to 20 feet tall,” National Grid officials recently told the Journal. It was stated that 15 of the trees would be planted on Main Street and in the Village.
The two corkscrew willows were planted on April 22, in front of the Skidmore House across from the Northport Fire Department. At this time, however, no other trees related to the National Grid project have been purchased, Buzard assured: “We have not selected the species for the remaining trees on Main Street,” he said.
The Journal’s original story, published on Tuesday, May 6, is below:
A pledge to plant trees in Northport Village following a gas main replacement on Main Street is underway, with the first two of 15 trees planted on April 22.
National Grid donated 15 weeping willow trees to be planted along Main Street and in the Village, a commitment the company made in connection with its 2023 project that replaced the gas main along Main Street from Church Street to Woodbine Avenue.
Replacing the old gas main provided “a modernized natural gas system that is safer, cleaner and more resilient,” National Grid stated in an informational flier before the project began. The new distribution pipelines serve the growing demand for gas and improve reliability, National Grid officials said.
The first two trees were planted in front of the Skidmore House across from the Northport Fire Department.
