HANSON – The Select Board, on Tuesday, Sept. 27 approved closure of the public comment period and submission of the town’s energy aggregation plan to the state Department of Public Utilities for final approval.

That process is expected to take at least a year, with an eye toward an official launch by next winter, according to consultant Patrick Roche of Good Energy.

“Only after we’re approved by DPU would we be allowed to go out to bid for electricity,” he said. “Once we have done that, then we would do a big education and outreach period before the program starts, so people will know they can choose not to participate [if that is what] they want.”

Roche stressed that the aggregation does not become the town’s electric company. The only portion of a customer’s electricity bill the plan can change is the electricity generation costs.

The aggregate would buy electricity on behalf of Hanson residents as a group, with those who prefer other plans given the right to opt out.

“A lot of towns have been doing this and, in the process of doing it, we mitigate the risk,” said Energy Committee Vice Chair James Armstrong, noting that utility companies buy energy every four to six months in that way, depending on the tariff they are under. “They buy it at the same time every year. We have a little more flexibility in how we do ours — that’s why we have a consultant.”

The vote followed a public hearing with the board, which closed out a public comment period on the plan, with Roche, who attended remotely. The firm helps the town know when to buy energy, what to look at and whether they should shorten or lengthen purchase contracts — currently done by the year — if it makes sense in the market to do so.

“We can play the market, whereas the utilities cannot,” Armstrong said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about trying to save money for the citizens of Hanson, and it’s also about giving options to the citizens of Hanson to buy more green power.”

He explained this was the second hearing conducted on the proposed energy aggregate plan for Hanson.

“We actually submitted [it] to the DPU,” Armstrong said. “They made some modifications and sent it back. We had to modify our plan, that’s why we needed to have another hearing.”

The current public comment period on the DPU’s revisions had been open since Aug. 10. The proposal was approved at Town Meeting last year, Armstrong reminded the board, so it is not something new.

Only two comments had been received, both asking if the program was live yet and how they could sign on.

“Ironically, National Grid has actually announced a 40-percent increase in our electric bills, starting next month,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is mitigate that risk, and that was always our intention.”

Roche said that increase is already “baked in,” but the aggregation could help protect the town from similar price spikes in the future.

With no public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, Select Board members made their comments and/or asked questions.

“I’m very new to all this,” Select Board member Ann Rein said, asking if an incident similar to last winter’s electrical grid failure in Texas could happen here.

“I suppose it’s possible that could happen here,” Roche said. “[But] your program would not change, whether or not that could happen.”

He explained the Texas crisis was rooted in the failure to adequately assess how much transmission on the grid was possible on the part of the state’s regional grid operator as well as regulatory shortcomings.

Armstrong added that, despite growth in use over the last 10 years, because of energy efficiency programs, the amount of electricity used has not changed. There are no more coal-fueled energy plants left in New England, he said, noting those that are left, are fueled by natural gas. The state is also encouraging battery storage to more easily handle demand spikes.

The state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requires utilities to purchase a certain percentage of green energy. Hanson is now at about 25 percent and is seeing that ratio go up by 2 percent every year, according to Armstrong.

“We’re trying to buy 5-percent more than we’re required to,” he said. “That’s it — just a little bit more to be a little bit greener as we do things, and at the same time, save ourselves some green, too.”

Select Board member Ed Heal, while he likes the program, expressed skepticism at the effectiveness of renewable energy sources and was concerned that people had to request to opt out.

“I don’t like forcing people into something where they need to opt out,” he said. “I would rather it be you opt into this program.”

Armstrong said that residents who already have such a third-party source will not automatically be added to the aggregation. But urged vigilance. He said he has a third-party energy source at home already, but wasn’t following it and there was a price spike. 

“I’m an energy engineer … but I wasn’t watching myself,” he said. “What this does, is allow someone else to watch out for you on that issue.”

Heal’s objections stem from a lack of choice, he said, and expressed concern that the program would not prevent electricity costs to go through the roof.

“Eventually, we’re not going to have a choice, it’s going to be whatever these people say we’re going to have,” he said. “It’s going to be green, and that’s it — for better or worse.”

Roche said the aggregation will also govern its purchase of renewable energy in a way to be more cost-effective than National Grid.

Among other business, the Select Board conducted its final review of warrant articles ahead of the Monday, Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

The Finance Committee, which met at the same time as the Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 13, had already expressed concern to that their final recommendations would not be ready until the Tuesday, Sept. 27 meeting.

By Tuesday’s meeting the Finance Committee had recommended all articles except those with salary implications out of sustainability concerns.

The Capital Improvement Committee Chair Frank Milisi, Vice Chair Kurt Travis II and members Ken Sweezey and Pat Wheeler met with the Select Board, of which two members also serve on the Capital Committee – Ed Heal and Joe Weeks on Sept. 13.

Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said at that meeting that she has spoken with both Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., and Library Director Karen Stolfer, both of whom indicated their capital request articles presented for the October special Town Meeting Warrant “were not dire” and they were not concerned if the articles were deferred to the May 2023 annual Town Meeting. 

The articles dealt with a Fire Station feasibility study and an HVAC study for the library.

“There were also some concerns about adding positions,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that the part-time position for the Select Board office was, indeed necessary. 

“I guess the biggest question is how much money are they willing to let us spend on capital expenses?” Milisi asked, noting that longer waits for some projects would translate to higher costs.

HANSON – Ralph and Alli Greenberg, co-owners of Impressed LLC returned to the Select Board, Tuesday, Sept. 13 to provide an update on their plan to expand their cannabis business at 15 Commercial Way to include a delivery component as well as the grow facility already approved by the town.

Joining Ralph Greenberg in meeting virtually with the board were their equity partner Shanel Lindsay and consultant Ezra Parzybok. 

Select Board members had asked last month that the Greenbergs provide: projected financials for the grow facility; projected financials for the delivery service; and the framework of the delivery service, its rules of engagement and any other information that would be important for the board to know.

The proposal is on the Oct. 3 special Town Meeting.

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said Impressed and its partner firm La Flora LLC have provided a great deal of in-depth documentation on paper to town officials.

“I’m hoping that you guys are thinking about having somebody at Town Meeting in case there are questions that come up,” she said after the presentation. “As much as we tried to own everything you just said, we’re not going to do it as much justice as you folks would.”

“The one thing I wanted to get out of this tonight and going into Town Meeting, is we really need those [financial] numbers,” said Select Board member Ann Rein said. “I’m telling you right now that townspeople are going to want to see that there’s a real benefit to this. You’ve got a tough fight on your hands if you don’t have some concrete numbers to give to them.”

She also said residents would have to understand the difference between the cultivation business already approved, and the delivery license they now seek.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed, noting that it cannot be stressed enough that it is not going to be a brick-and-mortar store.

“What was an eye-opener to me is medical deliveries have been happening all along and we didn’t even know it because it’s very discreet,” she said.

Select Board member Jim Hickey asked questions about town revenue vs the company’s net income growth projections. The figures are based on retail figures, FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested.

Hickey also said questions would also include what drivers would be paid, hours of operation and some other details, which  FitzGerald-Kemmett said appear to be included in the documentation supplied to the board.

Changing government regulations and a possible federal legalization could also have an effect, Parzybok said. Lindsay said they also envision higher set-up expenses in the first year.

Select Board member Joe Weeks said that, while some at Town Meeting will oppose a cannabis business no matter what, and some will urge approval of marijuana in all it’s forms, the vast majority will have to be convinced.

“The town wants to make sure from seed-to-sale that it is not going to fall into the wrong hands,” he said, noting that they want to see that the regulatory documents are Impressed’s policies and procedures to keep the town’s kids safe.

“One of the things I have experience in is not only running a very organically grown, sustainable business, but also a very compliant business and that is what we intend to bring as a partner to Impressed and to the town, a business that is sustainable, that in one that helps the town that helps Impress realize their dream of sustainabilty and also brings needed revenue to the town,” Lindsay said.

Ralph Greenberg said he thought the board should first know a little bit more about the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and how they work. The commission conducts a post-final license inspection, which gives businesses the ability to sell product. Some of the product already grown has been inspected and is ready for sale.

The test results provide the business; pricing structure that users and wholesalers will pay.

“I don’t think it’s really prudent to give you a projection [for that reason],” he said. “It will really be a novelty number and it would be fraudulent for me to say anything to you and give you a number as a projection. The market has changed dramatically in the last couple of months.”

Greenberg said that adding a delivery component to the wholesale business could provide them with the profitability from which it would profit.

“I think the big question is, How do we create this delivery component to the Impressed Group and make this the opportunity that we’re all looking for?” Greenburg said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board understands what he is saying but that they are being asked to support adding the delivery component, which they are feeling “quite favorably about,” but stressed that an important consideration for voters is how much money it would bring to the town.

“If we’re not getting any kind of projection on the financials, that’s a very difficult position that we’re being put in, as the elected representatives for our constituents, where we literally don’t have any information to give them,” she said. “We’re being asked to take a leap of faith that we’re going to make some money, but we can’t really tell you how much money.” 

FitzGerald-Kemmett said Select Board members will be expecting at least a low-ball figure that can be presented to Town Meeting within the next couple of years because opponents will attend Town Meeting with made-up numbers in an effort to argue that the town won’t receive enough revenue from the project to make it worthwhile.

 “We have nothing to say whether those numbers are correct or not,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Those numbers would have to come from you.”

Lindsay, a lawyer as well as equity partner with Impressed LLC, has also been involved in the cannabis business for about 10 years, including a patent for a device that allows medical patients and seniors to make cannabis products for their medical needs. She was also asked to help write the law legalizing cannabis for adults over 21. She has been a member of the CCC advisory board during its initial work and was reappointed for a second term during its crafting of the second set of regulations, including those governing delivery. She is also one of the few female owners of a cannabis business, Lindsay said.

“I am also very excited to help and join [a] partnership with one of the very few female growers in the industry, and also a family business,” Lindsay said, noting that hers is a family business, as well.

Parzybok is a licensing and security expert in the field, Lindsay said.

Delivery businesses are only open to people who meet a number of standards regarding their past, the communities they come from and equity in hiring and participation in the industry.

Lindsay’s business, La Flora LLC, is a partner with Impressed LLC.

“It makes a ton of sense for both of us to work hand-in-hand to make sure that all of the product being grown by Impressed makes it out into the marketplace in Massachusetts,” she said. “It’s important to understand that this is a very, very, heavily regulated product that has many layers of tracking and many different layers of technology to make sure that the product does not end up in the wrong hands.”

Parzybok, who is also a cannabis education consultant, outlined the procedures and protocols to ensure product safety in Hanson.

“I’ve made it my mission to see these businesses open in the most compliant way,” he said, while making sure communities understand what that means.

Delivery operator’s licenses are separate from courier licenses, which cover those who deliver product to homes from a retail outlet.

“Delivery operator is a warehouse model, and is a perfect scenario for a partnership with Impressed,” he said. “Medical marijuana is a different legal category, which has the exact same product level.”

The main difference is medical marijuana has a much stronger and has been permitted for home delivery from the start in Massachusetts, for both customer privacy and convenience.

He said 32 percent of adults 21 and older in states where cannabis is fully legal have consumed it in the last six months. Alcohol consumption is at 70 percent, but he said cannabis is closing that gap as a replacement for alcohol.

State regulations govern vehicles — which are unmarked generic-looking passenger vehicles — product storage, facility vaults, driver training, GPS tracking software, manifests, ID checks and state-seed-to-sale tracking. Delivery vehicles must pull into an enclosed facility for loading directly from a vault, to which only specific employees have access.

“I’ve made it my mission to help these businesses get opened in the most compliant way, and also to educate the community — to make sure they understand what that means,” Parzybok said. Medical marijuana, for example, is much stronger than recreational cannabis.

As for hard numbers on local impact revenue the town can expect, he said the market is quite volatile, he said, but estimated net income for the town based on  Impressed’s first year is put at $408,297. For the second year it is estimated at $990,848 – $1,091,126 for year three, $1,124,100 in year four and $1,198,195 in year five.

The figures were based on an output of 1,000 of quality product for the first year and the goal of 3,000 pounds of yearly output with a current annual wholesale price of $1,500 to $2,000 per pound. But more producer businesses are coming on board, which is a reason Impressed is seeking a delivery license as well.

“With these figures, we really tried to be conservative,” Lindsay said.

Security cameras and hardwired GPS systems are features of the delivery vehicles, and regulations require licensed agents, who are trained in security practices, to staff the vehicles.

All areas of the business property, inside and out, are also covered by security cameras. Body cameras are also worn by delivery agents, who advise clients, at their doors, that their transactions are being recorded. Little to no cash is used in transactions.

“It’s important to understand that this is a very, very regulated product that has many, many different layers of tracking, many, many, many different layers of technology to make sure the product does not end up in the wrong hands,” Lindsay said.

WHITMAN — The Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 13 appointed the six members to a search committee for a new town administrator and discussed the process of appointing an interim treasurer-collector, effective Nov. 1.

“I take pleasure in announcing that Beth Stafford, a former selectman and a School Committee member, has reached out and volunteered to serve on that group,” Interim Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to bring new and old experiences together to focus on hopefully moving quickly to identify candidates.”

“That’s a constant theme, isn’t it,” Select Board member Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

Chair Randy LaMattina said Stafford is “definitely more than qualified to serve in that capacity

“We’ve always tried to have a diverse selection of [people] on our hiring groups, and I think that keeps in line with that,” he said.

Members of the group will be Stafford, Lynam, Kowalski, Fire Chief Timothy Clancy, Finance Committee Chair Rick Anderson and resident John Galvin.

Lynam said the board had explored engaging other persons to assist as treasurer/collector on a temporary basis, but that did not work out for various reasons. MaryBeth Carter had worked as Whitman’s treasurer/collector since 2006.

“What I failed to notice in the process was we have a home-grown candidate, who has worked for us for close to five years in the capacity of town accountant and he is prepared to take on that new responsibility,” Lynam said of Town Accountant Kenneth Lytle. “As you know, the position is an elected one. We can appoint a treasurer/collector until the next election.”

He reminded the board they have spoken about his recommendation to bring the proposal to change the treasurer/collector position to an appointed one and argued for doing so at a November Town Meeting.

“I’m asking that the board consider appointing Ken as of Nov. 1 to the position of acting treasurer/collector, to be paid at the base rate of the former treasurer/collector,” Lynam said. He noted that Carter has offered to provide some assistance during the transition and he has spoken with the auditors to clarify the process — Lytle will stay in his current role until the end of October to close out work on the fiscal year.

“It is a specific legal requirement that a town accountant not be a treasurer/collector of the community as well, because those are checks and balances,” Lynam said.

“I think we knew when we hired Ken, he’s world-class,” LaMattina said, saying it was a logical choice. “His work performance is fantastic.”

Lynam said the treasurer/collector is one of the most responsible positions the town has, entrusted with the handling and investing of more than $43 million in taxpayer money.

“It requires a skill set that not just anybody can do,” he said. “Ken has a background as an accountant … and has demonstrated his knowledge.”

In other business, the board reviewed its marijuana business host agreement and related social equity policies and procedures with town counsel attorney Peter Sumners and voted to approve the social equity policy, while postponing a vote in the host agreement itself. 

The May Town Meeting approved a bylaw allowing cannabis business zoning in the town.

“That bylaw is still currently at the attorney general’s office Municipal Law Unit awaiting approval,” Sumners said. “They sought an extension from town counsel’s office [and] Michelle McNulty granted the extension through Oct. 5, so we should know [by then] whether that’s approved or not.”

Sumners said he has spoken with the attorney general’s office and reported “no major issues” to be worried about, and forecast that it should largely be approved.

“There’s just a couple of unique provisions that they’re taking a look at, but that won’t have an effect on the rest of the bylaw if they have any issues,” he said. 

In the meantime, the state has also passed new legislation that “pretty drastically” changes some provisions of the cannabis statutes — especially concerning community impact fees.

“That required a substantial revision to a form of host community agreement that we were working with,” Sumners said. A team from the town counsel’s office has reached out to some interested applicants over the summer, identifying locations and trying to move forward with licensing, but they have to enter into a host community agreement first. 

“While the town can’t enter into one of those until you have your zoning bylaw in place, we have been able to speak with them and keep things moving forward to get things ready in anticipation of that bylaw being approved,” he said. 

The legislation change also requires a town to adopt social equity policies and procedures to address impact on people “disparately impacted by marijuana prohibition in the past,” before a host community agreement can be entered into. The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) is charged with issuing model policies and procedures, but has not done so yet.

He provided a policy to the board that he expects would meet any minimum standards the CCC might issue.

“We anticipate that whatever we come up with, in terms of a host community agreement, is going to be used for every marijuana business,” Sumners said, noting his office has received a lot of positive feedback from potential businesses.

Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci noted that business would be responsible for financial impact of any need for increased public safety activity or wear and tear on town infrastructure. He asked if it could be increased if a cost, such as the number of police officers, increased.

“If the impact on the town is more than 3 percent of a business’ gross sales, it is still capped at 3 percent,” Sumners said. “The big change over the summer, is we now have to send them documentation of what the impacts on the town are first … and they can last eight years.”

Select Board member Justin Evans said he and Select Board member Shawn Kain have been working with Sumners on the issue and noted that Kain had a suggestion to include the cost of substance use and abuse prevention and education programs in the impact fee.

“It’s something that I think is a responsibility on us as a community to do,” Kain said.

Kain also suggested the formation of a small budget working group to plan for the fiscal 2024 town budget.

“It’s just something to keep in the forefront of where we want to get to when budget season starts, so that we can use it then,” he said. “I think it’s a really important tool that will really help us with some big decisions.”