By ADAM ATKINSON

North Country This Week

CANTON – The village is in the process of completing two procedural steps to move the Dairy Queen rebuilding project forward, including releasing grant funding for equipment and declaring that the rebuild would have no negative environmental impacts.

The restaurant at 51 Gouverneur St. was destroyed following a break-in and arson in August 2018. The structure was declared a total loss. The owners, Audrey Guthrie, Inc. d/b/a Dairy Queen, are planning to rebuild the restaurant and reopen. The total rebuild project is estimated to cost $972,964.

The village has secured a $195,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state Office of Community Renewal for the project. The money is dedicated to reimburse the owners for new equipment costs for the rebuild.

At the village board meeting Oct. 21, village attorney Gerald Ducharme pointed out that the village is not involved in the removal of the old building or the rebuild.

“But apparently under the regulations under which the grant was issued the village has to oversee the entire project,” Ducharme said.

Canton will request release of the CDBG funds from the OCR on Nov. 13.

At the Oct. 21 meeting, trustees also passed a resolution declaring that the rebuild project would not have any significant impact on the environment, and that the project would not require filing a State Environmental Quality Review Act form.

“Our overseeing of it, even though we’re not doing the work on the land, because we have our ‘finger in the water,’ a SEQR is implicated,” Ducharme said. “But a type 2 action is the type of action that is not subject to SEQR. And, a specific type 2 action listed in the (village) code is replacement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of a structure in kind on the same site. Which is what they are doing.”

Ducharme said Village Economic Development Director Leigh Rodriguez had confirmed with the state that the project was a type 2 action and a SEQR was not required.

“So we will have this resolution on file and this should satisfy any question about SEQR review and the project can continue,” Ducharme said.

The village will have an Environmental Review Record of the project on file at the clerk’s office at 60 Main St. for public consideration and comment. Comments can be submitted to the Canton Office of Economic Development.

All comments on the ERR received before Nov. 12 will be considered prior to the village requests the release of the CDBG funds.