By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON -- Village officials expect renovations and improvements to downtown buildings now that the Village of Canton has  $300,000 in economic development funding for investments on Main Street.

“This has been a big priority of mine and I have been focusing on getting this funding for the community,” said Leigh Rodriguez, director of Economic Development for the Village of Canton. “We’ve been applying for several years…the last time we receive this was in 2005 or 2006.”

She says all of the improvements will be made on Main Street with a defined target area on the North side of the street.

She said the money can be used for upgrades to things like signage, roofing, bricks, bringing buildings up to code and safety upgrades, and, on unused land, for low- to moderate-income housing downtown.

“We are excited about it,” she said. “We applied for $500,000 but are happy with $300,000.”

The funding received by Canton was announced Thursday, Dec. 9, as part of $7.7 million in economic development funding earmarked for St. Lawrence County from the North Country Regional Economic Development Council

Funds can be used for business or residential purposes. Businesses, organizations and building owners can soon apply for portions of the money to help fund improvements. The target area is defined to a three-block area.

“There is quite a number of upgrades this can be used for,” Rodriguez said.

The money will pay for 75 percent of a project’s cost. There are maximums of what each can receive. The general cap is $50,000 per building with more money available under certain circumstances.

“We just received and email about the grant and once an agreement is signed we can move forward,” she said.

From there a public outreach will take place and people can then apply for the money. Rodriguez said a committee will be formed to sort through the applications and decide where the money ends up.

Underused spaces can be developed into housing as part of this program. Criteria to receive the money include using it to create low to moderate income housing within walking area to local amenities.

“There would be a limit on what landlords could charge for rent,” she said.

Rodriguez said that some building owners have been waiting to make improvements and take advantage of what is basically a 75 percent savings on upgrades and improvements.

“This is a great thing…creating more usable space for the community.” Rodriquez said.