Marijuana Cultivator Looking to Operate in Adams
Art Babayan of LC Square speaks with the Board of Selectmen last week about his plans for marijuana cultivation.
Art Babayan of Natick, principal of LC Square LLC, told the Selectmen last week of his plans to establish a marijuana cultivation facility at 173 Howland Ave.
He said he sees Adams as the perfect fit for himself and his business.
"I strongly believe in a win-win relationship and every time I traveled to Adams to look at a facility at the gas station, restaurant, or grocery store I always felt welcomed," he said. "It is very important to me to be surrounded by people who are respectful and welcoming, and I felt that every time."
Babayan said he and his partners have been looking at possible sites in Berkshire County for the past six months and they plan to purchase the Howland Avenue property that was formerly Berkshire Outdoors and, prior to that, Powder Shield Technologies.
The 36,000 square-foot building needs work and Babayan said the plan is to completely renovate it.
"That building needs a lot of love ... we know what is coming and we know what we need to do," he said. "We are going to start that immediately."
The company expects to close on the purchase of the property from Howland Avenue Storage LLC shortly and then will winterize it and begin work on the interior of the facility. Babayan said LC Square is currently in the state application process and hopes to be open in 2019.
Mission Massachusetts has already been approved by the town to operate a medical marijuana dispensary on Howland Avenue, in one the Ronnie's Cycle Shop buildings; it is currently renting the space while awaiting state approval. A second operation, Berkshire Boys, approached the Board of Selectmen but is now looking at building on Fales Road in Cheshire.
Babayan briefly outlined some of the items in a proposed host community agreement and said the plan is to voluntarily give the town $5,000 toward drug education.
The company also plans to hire local contractors and would like the five to 10 employees it plans to hire to be local as well.
LC Square's security consultant Stephen Chaisson of AC3 LLC also addressed the board and said he was involved in setting up security in some of the first cultivation facilities in the state.
He said the Howland Avenue facility will go beyond state security mandates.
"Quite honestly this may be one of the most secure facilities in your town," he said.
Most of the board's questions centered around the marijuana business as a whole and Selectman Joseph Nowak asked if stronger strains of marijuana will be labeled as such.
"As a young man, I am not scared to admit it, I did grow up in the '60s and I smoked weed. I went to Woodstock and there were different types," he said. "There was the good stuff … and now there has been an uptick in THC."
Babayan said all of the product will be shipped to testing facilities, where the chemical makeup will be recorded. THC refers to tetrahydrocannabinol, the drug's main chemical ingredient.
Nowak also noted that the marijuana business is currently cash only, which makes him nervous. Banks have been hesitant to engage with cannabis operators because federal law still denotes marijuana as an illegal drug despite its legalization or decriminalization in more than 20 states and districts.
Babayan shared the same sentiment and said in time he anticipates this will change but, in the meantime, the company will utilize a software that records everything it grows and sells.
"As a business owner, I don't want to handle cash at all," he said.
Selectman James Bush asked what will happen to the marijuana waste.
Chaisson said it will be turned into compost.
"This is really nutrient-rich material," he said. "We grow once in it than it is destroyed so we are going to look locally to people who may want it, but it is a commodity."
Babayan said he is excited to relocate to Adams.
"I personally plan to become a very active member in this community I love this area and certainly see myself moving down here," he said. "The closer you get to Adams you are surrounded by this beauty it is amazing."
Nowak thanked Babayan for taking an interest in Adams and said he hoped they succeeded.
"I just thank you for having faith in our community and I hope that we can work hand in hand and move forward," he said. "… and lastly, I did inhale."
LC Square will hold a community outreach meeting before the town signs a host community agreement.
The Selectmen also approved the placement of no-parking signs on Phillips Hill Road by request of the Traffic Commission.
Vehicles were parking on the hill to utilize a back-loading dock at Mullen Moving and Storage and completely blocking the narrow road from those who live at the top of the hill.
The situation was largely worked out at the Traffic Commission meeting between the neighbors and Mullen, but the commission felt signage could only help deter parkers.
The board also ratified the hiring of Carla Thomas as a financial assistant in the Community Development Office and of Bruce Bump as a skilled laborer and Tristan Fieri as a maintenance technician/operator I, both in the Department of Public Works.
Tags: marijuana,
