BUCKLAND — A plan to site two “craft marijuana cultivators” in town drew abutters’ concerns, but an overall positive reception at an informational hearing for the proposal.
Daniel Sullivan of 68 Hog Hollow Road and Daniel Wetterwald of 27 Purington Road are interesting in cultivating marijuana in greenhouses, as part of a newly formed cultivators’ cooperative called Farm Bug Co-op. Each man would like to put up one or two greenhouses on their respective properties, to grow organic marijuana as members of this statewide cooperative.
At least 70 residents attended the session to ask questions about security and community impact that growing legalized marijuana would have on the town. And they also wanted to know if it would bring in revenues for the cash-strapped town.
“I think people here have really mixed emotions about legalization (of marijuana),” said Buckland resident Phoebe Walker. “This may be hard — and you may not like it — but (the public hearing process) is going really hard in other parts of the state. …I would really encourage your security systems to be as un-ugly as possible,” she added, noting that townspeople want to retain the farm landscape.
Carol Cone said there were about 16 to 18 residents living in “hearing distance” of the Hog Hollow Road project, and she wondered about the noise level from fans running in the greenhouses. Sullivan said mufflers could be added if fan noises were a problem.
Cone’s husband, Walter Chapman, said he was satisfied that marijuana was decriminalized, but concerned about making marijuana too accessible. “How much marijuana are we going to get,” he asked. “This is not about you, personally, but where is this going to end?”
Farm Bug President Eric Schwartz said it would be illegal for cultivators to sell their product directly to the public. He said Farm Bug is the first cooperative formed in any of the marijuana-legal states, and its purpose was to give local growers an additional crop and additional revenue, rather than letting all the revenue go to big cultivator companies, as is happening in Colorado and California. He said the cooperative was formed with the principals of voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, education and outreach, the sharing of training and information about marijuana growth, and concern for the local community.
He said the community can request up to 3 percent of the local revenue as an “impact fee” if the presence of the greenhouses requires more police security, for instance.
Both Sullivan and Wetterwald would like to build two greenhouses “the size of an ordinary farm building” for cultivation. There would be infrared cameras around them for security.
When Andrea Donlon asked about water usage, Sullivan explained he may add another well. “We’re using the lowest (water) amount in the industry. I want to recycle the water and turn it into a zero-waste facility,” he said. No pesticides, no fertilizers, either.”
Schwartz said the state requires Farm Bug to go through the public hearing process in all towns where it has members. “We’re trying to do the first (growers’) wave in Massachusetts and start our first building here,” said Jay Hadden, an attorney for Farm Bug. “We’re shooting for the end of this year, maybe by next year.”
Planning Board Chairman John Gould said Farm Bug and the growers have been talking to the Planning Board, which is also working on a zoning amendment addressing marijuana.
“We’re appreciative of the model you brought to town,” he told Schwartz.