Nantucket Tree Committee Sets July 2 Liberty Elm Dedication Ceremony Downtown

NANTUCKET — June 17, 2026 — Nantucket's Tree Advisory Committee set a July 2 Liberty Elm dedication at the school grounds elm on Surfside Road and Sparks Avenue, scheduling it for 6:16 p.m. — a nod to 1776. Committee member Mary Longacre said the Nantucket Historical Commission responded enthusiastically to the project; DPW Director Drew confirmed a bronze plaque is expected from fabricator Neil Patterson's around June 25, after which the boulder will be placed and a cast iron bench secured along the adjacent footpath. Committee member Eve Messon was assigned to source red, white, and blue ribbon for the tree. The committee also pushed back on a Pleasant Street corridor transportation project — covering the stretch from Main Street to Silver Street — after learning the design, which proposes removing on-street parking spaces to widen sidewalks while retaining historic trees, had advanced through public survey, Select Board, and Nantucket Historical Commission review without input from the Tree Advisory Committee. Drew acknowledged the omission and agreed to bring a formal tree-condition review to the committee's next noticed meeting.