BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON -  The Canton Justice Court office will be seeking grant money to scan and shred old court records and do construction work in the court office at the Canton Municipal Building, 60 Main St.

The Canton Town Board endorsed a resolution on Wednesday night to authorize Justice Michael Morgan to apply for a $30,000 Justice Court Assistance Program (JCAP) grant.

Morgan told town board members his office still has 44 boxes of old court records dating back to the 1960s that need to be scanned or shredded. That cost along with the cost to replace a wall and paint it totals $29,845.

The adopted resolution states that for several years the Canton Town Board has supported the Canton Justice Court to apply for Justice Court Assistance Program grants enhancing the operations of the Court and supporting municipal building projects.

The resolution notes that the Justice Court for the Town of Canton has a heavy caseload because of the presences of two colleges, the St Lawrence County jail within its jurisdictions, and the Village Court dissolving in December 2012, merging with the Town; and the Canton Justice Court System operates at a high degree of efficiency despite the constraints faced by a community where 65 percent of its property is tax exempt.

The grant money, the resolution continues, states the Canton Justice Court System could improve its efficiency by using a grant through the Justice Court Assistance Program that would upgrade space, operations, supplies and equipment.

The town board also recognized Canton Town Court Clerk Marc Armstrong who was recently named County Court Clerk of the Year for New York State. Armstrong was nominated by his peers in St. Lawrence County.