The St. Lawrence County Seat

Canton’s Maple Hill Has Village Water

February 23, 2021

Photo caption: Community Bank Facilities Specialist Biff Harbart enjoys a cool drink of water thanks to the recently completed connection with the Village water system

 

Canton’s Maple Hill Has Village Water

Businesses and homeowners in Canton’s Maple Hill subdivision are finally able to connect to municipal services after years of planning and coordination. “We have been working toward this for more than 10 years,” said Canton’s Economic Development Director Leigh Rodriguez. “A lot of pieces had to be in place to get us where we are today. We are now able to provide critical services to one of our major employers and give them the support needed to continue their pattern of growth here in Canton.”

Work to bring municipal water and sewer to Maple Hill began when Community Bank, N.A. moved their back offices to the new location on Route 11 in 2010. A major employer, Community Bank had problems from the start. “We are very excited to be on municipal water after a long period of treating water and issues with our original well going dry and having to drill a second one,” said Kevin Lavair, Facilities Supervisor for Community Bank.

Over the summer a crew worked from Bend in the River Park to bore a passage under the Grasse River to carry water and sewer lines to the western bank of the river. “Manfred Construction was a huge help to us, from getting the project started to connecting our building to the water main,” said Lavair. “It was a very smooth process from start to finish.”

The $850,926 project was possible thanks to substantial funding from a number of state agencies, including $250,000 from the Northern Border Regional Commission, $235,000 from Empire State Development, and $25,000 from the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency Community Development and Environmental Improvement Program.

The project will wrap up this spring when a second boring will be made under the river to bring future sewer service to that area of the Village.

“It is a great accomplishment to have achieved this connection after many years of effort,” said Rodriguez. “We hope to see additional residential and commercial development in that area now, as was intended when the land was subdivided decades ago.”

Community Bank’s new village water meter. The connection to municipal water was completed this winter “achieving a goal the bank has had for what seems like forever,” said Kevin Lavair, Facilities Supervisor for the bank.

Last modified: February 23, 2021