With all the talk of red states and blue states and regional politics, we live in a time where we often view anything not connected to us as “other.” But, oddly, at least in the Eastern United States, we have been connected across the 40th parallel by a single mountain range—the Appalachians—that has served for eons as a path not just for the hikers we see along Route 7 in the Berkshires, but by the flora and fauna that have travelled this same pathway.
Some attendees were also concerned that their property values would decline if a cannabis store was located near them, or that long lines would be difficult to manage.
The property is on a state highway and is not in proximity to any homes on Route 23. However, the site is near the intersection with Taconic Lane and Bott Hill Road, both of which are residential in character.
Valkyrie will have to go through the site-plan review process with the town planning board and negotiate a host community agreement with the selectboard.
In the cannabis industry, trying to raise capital through traditional borrowing is difficult, in part because most commercial banks avoid lending money for marijuana businesses.
The problem is that recreational sales account for the vast majority of revenue for stores, and since medical marijuana is not taxed, revenues to the state and the municipalities that host the stores have dried up during the shutdown.
When selectboard Chair Steve Bannon opened the floor to comments from the audience, most seemed to agree that, in addition to placing restrictions on the stores, the larger question remains about what kind of image the tourism-minded town wants to project.
Fulcrum attorney Kate McCormick indicated that there were delays in the studies required of the applicant on sound, noise and odor and the peer reviews of those studies by the town.
The proposal, first made public in September, has alarmed residents of the neighborhood, whose concerns range from noise and odors to the effect of the Fulcrum project on property values and the aforementioned impact on the water supply.
Proposals for how to use the cannabis revenue windfall will be discussed by the selectboard and the finance committee in the upcoming deliberations for next year's budget, with voters having the final say on how to spend free cash at the annual town meeting in May.
Great Barrington, Eastham, Leicester, Newton, Northampton, and Uxbridge have received subpoenas from the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling seeking information about so-called host community agreements.
Nova Farms President Ross said the company "goal has always been ... to comply with all Mass CCC regulations" and Nova has "worked hand-in-hand with the Mass CCC since our suspensions to make sure that no stone has been left unturned."
The two payments, totaling nearly $140,000 for the first three months of business, "represent a significant sum to the town, which has an annual operating budget of just $25 million," according to Canna provisions.
The Cannabis Control Commission says it has suspended all six licenses held by Nova Farms, including indoor and outdoor grow licenses at the company's farm in Sheffield, as well as licenses for cultivation, manufacturing and retail sales at Nova's facility in Attleboro.
On several occasions during the hearing, Great Barrington Selectboard Chairman Steve Bannon rapped his gavel and warned hecklers that they would be removed from the room if they persisted.
In declining to recommend the permit to the selectboard, which will consider it on Monday night, the health board said it needed more information on noise, odor and possible effects on groundwater.
