Village Hall Re-Design

It feels great to know that the Village of Northport supports the work NNGI is doing.  The Village expressed their confidence in our organization by honoring and tasking us with the redesign and installation of native plants at our Village Hall.  Initial conversation and efforts surrounding this project with former Village Trustee, Mercy Smith, were continued when Trustee Dave Weber assumed the role of Parks commissioner upon her departure. A seamless transition, Dave was integral in seeing this project come to fruition.   

The design itself lends to maintaining a bit more formality as you approach the building, while the ‘island’ hosting the Village signage displays a playfulness with colors and structure.  We felt it was important to highlight several species of perennials, shrubs and grasses.  Oftentimes folks who are considering replacing landscape choices with native options, do not know what to use as a replacement species.  This is one of the reasons we chose Ilex glabra, Inkberry “Shamrock” -to highlight the close resemblance to the famous Buxus spp., or Boxwood.  Additionally, Clethra alnifolia, Summersweet “Hummingbird” was selected to provide an alternative to the common Buddleja, or Butterfly Bush. 

What better way to showcase the beauty and benefit of native plants than a carefully selected design at our very own Village Hall?  What is so incredible about these plants is that they not only look gorgeous, but they become a point of stormwater mitigation along Main St.  The root systems of native plants are significantly deeper than non native plants or turf grass, thus providing a filtration as one of their many functions. 

The long term vision for Village Hall suggests a seed library with collected seeds from plant species at Village Hall or our Original “Corner Garden”, lectures, and a hosting place for youth organizations to learn about plant ecology.  Stayed tuned for signage to be installed in early summer 2022!

We would like to thank the volunteers who spent a Friday evening assisting with installation, Mayor McMullen for welcoming NNGI, and Trustees Milligan and Kehoe for supporting this project.  A special thanks to Trustee Dave Weber for his support of NNGI and clear dedication to the environment and the Village of Northport.  We owe additional gratitude to former Trustee Mercy Smith for her neverending belief in what we, at NNGI, are working to accomplish.