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Adams Planners Approve Marijuana Cultivator Plans

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The Planning Board approved marijuana cultivators LC Square's site plan for Howland Avenue.
 
"It is just an improvement on the site, and there really isn't anything changing much," Chairman David Rhinemiller said Monday.
 
Art Babayan, principal of LC Square, came before the town in 2018 to share his intentions of establishing a marijuana cultivation business at 173 Howland Ave., the former Berkshire Outdoors building.
 
Although COVID-19 delayed some of the initial plans, Babayan went before the board Monday to get the project moving again.
 
Jeff Randall of Hill Engineers said site work is really limited, and their aim is to make improvements to the interior and exterior of the building.
 
"There is limited site work associated with this project. We are moving a few doors," Randall said. "We want to dress it up a little with some plantings and green space."
 
LC Square plans to have between 30 and 35 employees. During a given shift there will be 12 to 15 employees on site. Randall said they plan to install a 25-space parking lot to accommodate this.  
 
He said they plan to use the existing loading dock and the new use should have no adverse effect on utilities.
 
Babayan went over some of the security features. He added that traffic should be minimal with scheduled truck deliveries and pickups likely to take place only a few times a month.
 
He said they plan to sell to mostly Berkshire County retailers. 
 
The building will utilize a mostly closed-air system with only 10 to 15 percent of the air being exhausted. He said possible odor will be mitigated with an advanced filtration system.
 
"There will be very little air going out," Babayan said.
 
Babayan said hours of operation would be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Two-thirds of the employees are anticipated to be full time and he hopes to hire residents.
 
"Everything we do is focused around Adams," he said.
 
He said they will reuse soil and plant waste will be ground down and given to local farmers for compost.
 
In other business, the Planning Board voted to schedule a public hearing to discuss amending the zoning bylaws to allow marijuana cultivation, testing, and manufacturing in the Industrial Park.
 
"You can see with Art's plans it is in line with manufacturing and very technical akin to other uses in the industrial park," Donna Cesan, with Community Development said.
 
Cesan said when the town first crafted its marijuana bylaws they were extremely cautious in where they would allow marijuana to be grown and sold. Now that marijuana sales and cultivation have become quite normal in the state, the Board of Selectmen voted to ask the Planning Board to make some reconsiderations, specifically in the Industrial Park where the use seems to fit.
 
Most recently, the Zoning Board of Appeals made way for a retail and cultivation business to operate out of the former Burke Construction property at the entrance to the park. 
 
Cesan added that the town receives inquires from marijuana-related businesses about vacancies in the park a few times a year.
 
Some board members had concerns about odor and asked that they have data from surrounding communities to help in their decision-making. 
 
Board members also agreed that retail did not seem to be a good use in the park.
 
After a public hearing, town meeting ultimately will make this approval.

Tags: cannabis,   marijuana,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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