Pittsfield Board: Dalton Ave. Site 'Great Spot' for Medical Marijuana

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Attorney Syd Smithers asked for the Community Development Board's support when his client, Total Health and Wellness, seeks a special permit to open a medical marijuana facility.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state is requiring much tighter security on a medical marijuana distributor than any other pharmacy.

But, Total Health and Wellness Inc. is prepared to meet those standards in a reuse of a Dalton Avenue building.

And on Tuesday, the Community Development Board was happy with the planned reuse of the building.

The Community Development Board is forwarding the application to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a positive recommendation.

"It's a great spot. It's away from schools. I see no problem," said member Louis Costi, adding that the site currently housing County-Wide Rentals could be redeveloped into a far more intrusive car dealership by right.

Attorney Syd Smithers, of the firm Cain Hibbard & Myers, outlined the operations of the redeveloped building. Smithers said about 4,800 square feet will be used for cultivation while 1,500 square feet will be for retail operations.

The company is working with Medbox Inc. for the creation of an automated distribution computer, which will read the patient's prescription and distribute just that amount. Then, it will automatically report that distribution to the state Department of Public Health.

The company is one of two applicants that have filed second phase applications for approval with the state.

"It is a safe and secure means of dispensing medical marijuana and according to our clients, a state of the art method of doing so," Smithers said.

However, getting to that point requires a registration card. The machine is behind a controlled sally port, or vestibule.

"You can't get into the building without a registration card and the registration card will have a finger print on it. You can enter a sally port after showing your registration card and explaining the reasons you are there," Smithers said.

The company's representatives said the building will need to be highly secured.

Meanwhile, the entire site will be monitored by infrared cameras and alarms. Any time the marijuana is handled by either patients or employees, it must be done while being filmed and that video stays on file for at least three months, he said.

"The provisions required for security by CMRs probably exceed that of a pharmacy dispensing OxyContin," he said.



The state also requires any medical marijuana facility to be 500 feet away from a school but the city's own ordinance doubles that. The 531 Dalton Ave. site meets that requirement.

Engineer Matthew Puntin said the facility would not have detrimental affects on sewer, water, storm water runoff or traffic.

"This is a low-traffic generator," he said. "We estimate at the most, we need 13 parking spaces and we have 14."

The company is estimating between 30 and 50 customers per day, which added to the employees, will only create a maximum of 120 trips a day, he said, a small number compared to the 18,500 trips made on Dalton Avenue every day. For those cars entering and leaving, there is plenty of sight distance, he said.

The site is already connected to city and water systems but usage shouldn't be significant, he said. The cultivation will require about 1,500 gallons a day, he said, and very limited sewage will be added to the system.

As for storm water drainage, there isn't much the company can do to the already developed site, he said. But, it will be adding grass and trees in its landscaping, which reduces the impervious surface by 1,200 square feet.

Puntin added that the parcel is located in the 100-year flood plain, so the company cannot add fill to the site and will need approval from the Conservation Commission.

With Community Development's approval, the plan will now move to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The state is only expected to issue approvals early in 2014. Manna Wellness is also seeking the Department of Public Health license and is planning an all-new facility. Manna Wellness has not sought city permits yet.


Tags: community development,   medical marijuana,   

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North Adams Regional Reopens With Ribbon-Cutting Celebration

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz welcomes the gathering to the celebration of the hospital's reopening 10 years to the day it closed. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The joyful celebration on Thursday at North Adams Regional Hospital was a far cry from the scene 10 years ago when protests and tears marked the facility's closing
 
Hospital officials, local leaders, medical staff, residents and elected officials gathered under a tent on the campus to mark the efforts over the past decade to restore NARH and cut the ribbon officially reopening the 136-year-old medical center. 
 
"This hospital under previous ownership closed its doors. It was a day that was full of tears, anger and fear in the Northern Berkshire community about where and how residents would be able to receive what should be a fundamental right for everyone — access to health care," said Darlene Rodowicz, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. 
 
"Today the historic opportunity to enhance the health and wellness of Northern Berkshire community is here. And we've been waiting for this moment for 10 years. It is the key to keeping in line with our strategic plan which is to increase access and support coordinated county wide system of care." 
 
Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, under the BHS umbrella, purchased the campus and affiliated systems when Northern Berkshire Healthcare declared bankruptcy and closed on March 28, 2014. NBH had been beset by falling admissions, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, and investments that had gone sour leaving it more than $30 million in debt. 
 
BMC was able to reopen the ER as an emergency satellite facility and slowly restored and enhanced medical services including outpatient surgery, imaging, dialysis, pharmacy and physician services. 
 
But it would take a slight tweak in the U.S. Health and Human Services' regulations — thank to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal — to bring back inpatient beds and resurrect North Adams Regional Hospital 
 
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