BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

CANTON— Wildflowers could take the place of weeds in the former McDonald’s parking lot at 64 Main Street, thanks to a program organized by the village’s Sustainability Committee. 

The project would cover the lot with hardy wildflowers and serve in part as a demonstration area, showing how plants can help create a permeable surface that can better manage stormwater than a paved parking lot. 

The plan would prepare the Main Street site with topsoil and compost and plant wildflower seeds, which would create a more permeable surface than gravel or asphalt. The site would be a “no-mow plot,” only being cut once per year. 

To prepare the site, debris will be cleared and topsoil added to bring up the grade and support the growth of vegetation. 

Wildflower species will be selected for their resilience, low maintenance, and ability to absorb or drain stormwater, according to a handout describing the project from the village’s sustainability committee. 

 In order to slow water drainage to the adjacent municipal parking lot, a berm with native grasses may be added to the plot. 

The area would also feature up to five signs explaining the purpose of the plot and how plants can direct stormwater runoff. 

The Sustainability Committee expects that the wildflower project will be less costly than paving the lot or covering it with gravel. 

Total costs including village DPW labor and material is estimated between $3,252 and $4,151.

Material costs include topsoil, compost, wildflower seeds, and grass plants. 

The adjacent parking lot for Canton’s municipal building at 60 Main Street will be paved this spring by the St. Lawrence County Department of Transportation.