Barre Select Board Sets Hearings for Second Cannabis Host Agreement

BARRE -- October 22, 2019, Barre Select Board schedules two cannabis cultivation public hearings and fills fire station building committee. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to hold public hearings November 7 and November 21 on a proposed outdoor cannabis cultivation host community agreement for a 115-acre Dog Road property, while also debating new market-value language for the standard 3 percent community impact fee, a provision Chair Dr. Maureen Marshall argued would prevent vertically integrated operators from shifting product between their own facilities at below-market prices to reduce the town's share. Seven members were appointed to the fire station building committee from a field of 14 applicants, including Fire Chief Robert Rogowski, DPW Superintendent Jason Pimentel, and longtime firefighter Joe Rogowski, a process complicated by four father-and-son pairs among the applicants. The board also read aloud a letter from 10-year-old resident Lola Howard requesting a South Street sidewalk, noting that engineering costs for the project are estimated at approximately $100,000 and a housing choice grant application is already pending.