BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – A crucial search by the Canton Village Board to construct a second water source received a shot in the arm with $1 million in Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) funds.

Village leaders have been tackling the second water source issue for several years.

“This is an important piece to allow us to move forward to help find a secondary water source,” stated Mayor Michael Dalton. “An infrastructure upgrade is vital to economic development and this funding really helps to make this system improvement possible.”

The village was one of eight NY-21 projects to be funded.

The mayor applauded the work of Canton’s Director of Economic Development Leigh Rodriguez in obtaining the funding.

“A shout out to Leigh and her office for their efforts. It makes a difference to know how things work,” said Dalton. “She did a great job with the grant application.”

An updated cost associated with the project is $2,277,483. The $1 million will cover approximately 44% of the cost. The village board has agreed to allocate $550,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the water project and $7,728 in River Valley Redevelopment Agency funds will be added to the pot.

With these monies in place, the gap to fund the project is $719,755.

The mayor also pointed out that once a secondary water source is up and running, the village may be allowed to decommission the old water plant building on Lincoln Street; a move that would create a cost savings for the village.

Dalton said he was notified of the funding award Monday evening by a call from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik who announced the funding recipients in an email Wednesday.

The mayor said both Stefanik and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer were supportive during the grant process.

“We appreciate that support from Congresswoman Stefanik and Senator Schumer,” Dalton remarked.

“I am proud to announce that over $4 million in taxpayer dollars will be returned to our district to invest in valuable infrastructure, skills training that leads to good-paying jobs, economic development, and tourism in our region,” Stefanik said. “The Northern Border Regional Commission grants and projects have already made a significant impact in our communities, and I am proud to take a leading role in increasing access to the program for Upstate New York and the North Country and ensuring NY-21 communities are prioritized by this critical program. I will continue to advocate for Northern Border Regional Commission funding that has greatly benefited our North Country communities.”

A second St. Lawrence County entity also received NBRC funding.

The St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency received $494,400 to rehabilitate the industrial track and bridge over the Oswegatchie River, which will restore reliable, direct rail service to the Dunn Paper Mill in Natural Dam and allow for further industrial development of parcels in the Town of Gouverneur.