By ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

CANTON – The village is applying for a federal Community Development Block Grant to help with the rebuild of the Dairy Queen at 51 Gouverneur St.

The restaurant was destroyed in August by a fire allegedly set by a former employee who has been charged with burglary and larceny in connection with the incident.

The CDBG funding, not to exceed $270,000, will help the owners, Gail Crabtree and John Putman, with equipment purchases, said Canton Economic Development Director Leigh Rodriguez at a public hearing regarding the grant application.

The hearing, held Nov. 19 prior to the village board meeting, is a requirement of the application process. A second hearing will be held if the village receives the funding.

“This assistance will support the creation of up to 18 new full time equivalent jobs principally for persons of low to moderate income,” said Rodriguez.

“I’m sure everyone is aware of the tragic loss we suffered there,” said Crabtree. “The outpouring from this community is amazing and we very much hope to be able to reconstruct it and get back in operation and get our people back to work.”

Crabtree said they hoped to be back in operation in six months.

“Well we all felt the loss,” said Canton Village Mayor Mike Dalton. “There is no doubt about that. Anytime we lose jobs in this community its painful. We are really interested in making this move forward and helping it move forward if we can.”

“It was a really good job for people,” said Sean Delorme Jr., a Dairy Queen employee. “We lost around 20 (jobs) and we are hoping to get those 20 or even plus more back.”

Delorme said he started at the Dairy Queen as a high school student. “And I’ve loved it ever since.”

“Some of our long term employees are families, people who have been there for a very long time,” Delorme said. Delorme also pointed out the role the restaurant has served in the community.

“I’ve worked there 25 years,” said Dot Gartner, who had also worked at the Potsdam Dairy Queen. “Gail took me back after four years, after I lost my husband. It helped me and I loved that job. It gives me something to do.”

Delorme said that the store is hoping to be year-round store when it reopens. The Dairy Queen had operated during the spring, summer and fall and was closed for winter.

“A year-round operation would certainly make your application a lot stronger,” said Dalton. “I think the community would really support that. Whether you have a Blizzard in the winter or the summer.”

The application will be submitted after all of the other funding for the rebuild is in place, said Rodriguez. She said she was still waiting for responses on applications for other funding streams for the project.

A second public hearing was held Nov. 19 regarding the 2016 CDBG Microenterprise Program. The village of Canton has received $200,000 through the program, $176,000 of which goes towards microenterprise assistance to six local businesses, $14,000 for program delivery and $10,000 for grant administration.

The hearing was held to update the public on the progress of that grant program.

Among the businesses receiving funding were all startups: Hawkshaw Mead Works, $35,000; Grasse River Outfitters, $25,100; Millennial Currency, $30,000.

Existing business receiving funding were Fourth Coast Entertainment, $30,417; The Celtic Knot Textiles LLC, $30,417; and Luna Boutique, $25,066.

Rodriguez said that it is projected that one full time and six part time jobs would be created and that it is anticipated that seven low moderate income owners will have created four or retained three jobs for themselves from the funding.

There was no comment from the public during the second hearing.