HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, June 15 approved a new round of negotiations on the marijuana facility host community agreement (HCA) based on the new venture into delivery service.
Impressed LLC has approached the town to expand its cannabis growing and manufacturing operation to include delivery service. The Cannabis Control Commission issues two different types of delivery license — courier and operator.
Couriers are allowed to pick up product from an existing licensed facility for delivery elsewhere, while an operator license can pick up, store and re-label the marijuana for resale.
“This [business] has the storage build in because it’s an existing facility,” said Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff. The town would receive 3 percent in community impact payments and 3 percent from sales tax.
“They’ve asked us to negotiate another HCA, or an amendment to an HCA to authorize me I will then go ahead and do so,” she said.
Town Administrator Lisa Green added that owner Ralph Greenberg is willing to give Selectmen a tour of the facility, needing only a request for a day and time.
Tours can be either individual or in groups, but Feodoroff cautioned against deliberation if a group of three or more tour together, or it would be in violation of the Open Meeting Law.
Selectmen also asked Feodoroff to weigh in on policy regarding it’s opening process for opening Cranberry Cove each year.
Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer stressed he understood the decision to open Cranberry Cove in advance of the recent heat wave was done with good intentions, but noted there has been a “breakdown in communications for a couple of years now,” that needed to be addressed.
“Opening up the cove is a lot more than saying, ‘The Cove is open. Enjoy,’” Dyer said. “There’s a lot of safety aspects behind it.”
He advocated a sign-off process that stipulates the Recreation Commission has made such a decision after talking to police and fire officials, had the building inspector check the docks and from the Health Department regarding water testing. He also advocated that Selectmen be notified.
Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett noted there had been some concern expressed about the lack of lifeguards so early in the season.
Recreation Commission Chairman Diane Cohen said she liked the idea of a department head signoff process.
Recreaction
vacancies
During the process of the board’s annual vote to appoint members of various town committees, Recreation Commission member Juvelyn Hartwig read a statement criticizing divisions on that panel as she removed her name from consideration for reappointment.
“It has been a rewarding experience — well, most of it,” said Hartwig, who has served on the Recreation Commission for two years. “It’s also inspired me to become more involved in our town.”
She has also been a Rotarian for 15 years in the town, where she has lived for 18 years.
“I am saddened that I have to show you this poster of my accomplishments tonight as a Recreation Commission member,” she said as two girls held up posters listing her works. “I am disappointed, to say the least, to see a pattern of behavior, and response to that behavior, from citizens in our town government.”
She said that, while Hanson is a diverse community, volunteers and appointed officials are not supported well by town government and some individuals.
“To think that my associations with civic and nonprofit relationships have been questioned as self-dealing or some financial interest is insulting and alarming,” she said. “Reappointing me, I know, is causing some of you a great deal of distress.”
After speaking with legal counsel, Hartwig said she felt she would have more impact as a volunteer or private citizen than as an appointed official. She is founding a group called Hanson Families for Change toward that end.
“I hope everyone realizes how sad that is,” she said. “Just because it’s what has been, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be changed.”
Dyer thanked her for everything she has done for the town.
Later in the meeting, Selectmen voted to appoint Audrey Flanagan and Franklin Milisi to the Recreation Commission following a brief interview with each of them, as well as candidate Nathaniel Mastico.
“We had several applicants for these vacancies,” Dyer said.
Dyer recused himself from Flanagan’s interview because she served as his campaign manager. Selectman Jim Hickey, who worked with Flanagan on girls’ softball said he would not recuse himself.
“I think in a small town such as us, when you work with someone over an amount of time and they make you successful or you make them successful, the success is there,” he said.
Hickey said he reviewed the situation with both town counsel and Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan and was told there was no conflict of interest.
Flanagan said she has more than 20 years of experience with Hanson Recreation and has served on the Commission for several years in the past.
Flanagan is currently chairman of the Hanson 200th Anniversary Committee, that had planned several events that had to be cancelled last year because of COVID.
“We’re still hoping to salvage some of the year,” she said. “We’re talking about a couple of smaller events to end the year and try to put some closure to the 200th.”
She said her goals include increasing subsidies for Recreation programs through booking weddings and events and to work with the CPC to seek grants to renovate the caretaker’s house as an office and museum as well as returning family camping weekends and the theater program.
Milisi said he wants to see process changes in various revenue streams at the camp to help it financially. He works in the financial technology field and has experience in the restaurant business and has some suggestions for improving the kitchen to help make it more viable for catering.
His acknowledgement of some of his pro-override political work in town drew a question from Hickey on whether he had advocated funding the schools over other departments at this year’s Town Meeting.
“I believe that the transfer station is an excessive capital cost to this town and it wasn’t presented in that way,” Milisi said. “But there was no point in time when I said fund the school and cut the Police Department or anything like that. … That is unacceptable.”
He also provided a list of ideas for events for children, as well as adults — such as dance nights — that can bring the entire community to Camp Kiwanee.