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The Community Development Board put their stamp of approval on the plans Tuesday night.

Medical Marijuana Facility Proposed For Downing Industrial Park

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Nial DeMena presented the plan to the Community Development Board on Tuesday and received a site plan approval.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board approved its second medical marijuana application Tuesday night.
 
The Greeneway Wellness Foundation is looking to open a dispensary in the Downing Industrial Park. The dispensary would be located in the former Berkshire Beef Co. building.
 
The foundation is one of the applicants statewide to receive a permit for a Cambridge location. 
 
During the next round of expedited permitting, the company hopes to receive state approval for the Berkshires location as well.
 
The organization has tapped one of the former heads of Manna Wellness, Nial DeMena, for the Berkshire's project. Manna Wellness had applied to open a dispensary in the city but was not accepted into the next round.
 
"They're mission is really closely aligned with ours," DeMena said on Tuesday.
 
Manna is still under reconsideration but DeMena is not currently working for that organization. 
 
"He's [John Greeneway] been very interested in tailoring a dispensary to the Berkshires," DeMena said, and since DeMena has the experience of crafting a Berkshires project, he was hired.
 
The Downing Industrial Park location won't include any cultivation and will follow the strict security guidelines set by the state.
 
"It is really a golden set of regulations," DeMena said, adding that DPH "took the best" regulations from other states and disregarded the regulations that weren't working.
 
Julia Germaine, who too headed the Manna proposal, also voiced support of the project and called the location "non-invasive."
 
DeMena says eventually Greeneway would look to expand their services beyond just the medicinal marijuana. But that is far down the road after the company receives all of the permits and operates the business for a while.
 
"It is his intention to expand and offer complementary services," DeMena said.
 
Greeneway is only the second medical marijuana dispensary the Community Development Board has seen. The board previously approved the plan from Total Health and Wellness Inc. to open one on Dalton Avenue. However, they too were not selected for the next phase of the application process.
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BCC Wins Grant for New Automatic External Defibrillator

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is the recipient of a $2,326 grant, funded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, for the purchase of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device. 
 
The grant specifically covers a device for use inside one of BCC's security vehicles for easy access when traversing the campus.  
 
In total, the Commonwealth awarded more than $165,000 in grant funding to 58 municipalities,
13 public colleges and universities, and nine nonprofits to purchase AEDs for emergency response vehicles. The program is designed to increase access to lifesaving equipment during medical emergencies, when every second matters.  
 
An AED is a medical device used to support people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, which is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. An AED analyzes the patient's heart rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.  
 
"Immediate access to AEDs is vital to someone facing a medical crisis. By expanding availability statewide, we're equipping first responders with the necessary tools to provide lifesaving emergency care for patients," said Governor Maura Healey. "This essential equipment will enhance the medical response for cardiac patients across Massachusetts and improve outcomes during an emergency event."  
 
The funds were awarded through a competitive application process conducted by the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), a state agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).  
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