BY PAUL MITCHELL

North Country This Week

CANTON – From lagoon work to water tower repairs, the Village of Canton has a long list of infrastructure needs.

The good news is the village is closing in on a secondary water source behind 80 East Main St. on property owned by St. Lawrence University and leased to the village.

This proposed water source, estimated to cost more than $2.2 million, will join the current source on Waterman Hill.

Recently, the village received $475,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from St. Lawrence County earmarked for the new water source. In August, the village was awarded a $1 million grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission for development costs. 

The village board has agreed to allocate $550,000 in ARPA funds toward the water project and $7,728 in River Valley Redevelopment Agency funds.

The village board is currently working on an infrastructure projects list.

“We are listing all items that need attention and prioritizing that list,” said Mayor Michael Dalton. 

The village’s two water towers - one on the SUNY Canton campus and the other on Judson Street, need repair work or possible replacement.

Sewage treatment work is needed at the lagoon including the installation of new liners and a need for a sewer wastewater vac truck.

Village storm sewers need significant work throughout the village. 

“It’s all about expenses. We have a lot of things on our table and we’ll have to wait to see how it goes from here,” Dalton stated.

The village is also moving forward with a major reconstruction project on Cleaveland Avenue.

The scope of the project is to fully reconstruct Cleaveland Avenue between Judson Street and Mildon Road. The project will include full depth reconstruction of the pavement and subbase of approximately 1,350 linear feet, installation of curb along both sides of the roads and improvements to the existing closed drainage system. The project will also include the reconstruction of the sidewalk ramps at the Judson Street intersection to make them ADA compliant.

The estimated cost is between $800,000 and $1 million.

At some point in the process, Village attorney Scott Goldie will be examining bonding options and bonding limits.