BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – The former McDonald’s restaurant at 64 Main Street is safe from the wrecking ball – at least for now.

At a joint town and village meeting held Wednesday night, several elected leaders questioned why the building was scheduled for demolition without consideration for repurposing the building located next door to the Canton Municipal Building.

First to speak was Deputy Town Supervisor James T. Smith. He said that since day one it was the board’s understanding that we needed McDonald’s to build a new municipal building. Now that both boards agree that $25 million for a new municipal building is not realistic, they are looking at other options, including finding space outside the municipal building to possibly relocate offices.

“I don’t believe I’ve heard McDonald’s as an option,” said Smith. “Can that 3,200-square-foot building be used for something other than being torn down. I’m not trying to derail anything. I’m just asking a question.”

Councilman Bob Santamoor agreed.

“I looked at it with Mary Ann [Ashley, town supervisor] and I got to believe it’s a viable building for the town or village or both,” Santamoor stated, saying he did see some black mold. “I think it would be fiscally irresponsible to tear it down. Let’s look at the building first to see if it’s safe or feasible.”

“We owe it to the community to do our due diligence. That’s what we were elected for,” said Councilman John Taillon.

At a joint meeting in July, both boards agreed to advertise for bids to demolish the 64 Main Street property. The three bids received are now moot as the town and village move forward with exploring the McDonald’s building.

At least officials now know how much it’s going to cost to tear down the building, noted Taillon.

Mayor Michael Dalton said he believed the McDonald’s building, if repurposed, does not have the proper space for the police department or town court.

“I think first we need to decide who will be going over there,” he said.

The consensus of both boards was to seek Request for Proposals (RFPs) for structural engineering services that if approved would be an additional cost to the taxpayers.

Ashley pointed out that since 2019, nearly $40,000 has been spent studying the 64 Main Street property - around $20,000 in 2019 and another $17,000 to $18,000 in 2022.

“Before spending any money let’s figure out and agree if there’s a use for that building,” Smith remarked. “If not and it becomes a liability, then better it’s not there.”

The town and village purchased the property in July 2021 for $295,000 from the McDonald’s Corporation of Delaware. A main point of the purchase was acquiring the adjacent parking lot to allow for potential future plans for the municipal building.