Plymouth Talks Cannabis Board

By Shawntae Webb
THE VERMONT JOURNAL
PLYMOUTH, Vt. – At the June 6 Plymouth Selectboard meeting, board members discussed forming a Cannabis Control Board, a cell phone tower opportunity, and further setbacks on the town building weatherization project.

The meeting was prefaced with a hearing on requests to close Town Road 39 and 70, otherwise known as Mecawee Pond Road. Tina and Mark Fletcher, property owners that live on the road, have been uneasy with people traveling up onto their property and concerned for people’s safety. The road was washed out from Hurricane Irene, and is “impossible” to navigate. They, and a few other residents in the area, are requesting that the town close the road to any vehicles or ATV’s.

Other town and selectboard members voiced their concerns about “throwing” the road, as it and properties along it hold historic value, and that once they disclaim it they cannot take it back. They could, however, classify it as a trail instead. Further discussion will take place at the next selectboard meeting.

Selectman Keith Cappellini attended a Vermont cannabis symposium last week and relayed that towns have the option to form local Cannabis Control Boards in order to formulate zoning regulations and requirements for retail cannabis locations. “The town may be able to better scrutinize what people are doing on that zoning level,” Cappellini said.

Any law or zoning regulation the town enforces must be the same for every single business in town; therefore they cannot make laws specifically for a cannabis business. The only cannabis regulation each town has is in retail licensing. Anyone in the state is allowed to cultivate cannabis on their own property, and by state law, no public consumption is prohibited.

Cappellini suggested that Plymouth adopt a Cannabis Control Board “to help control what comes into town,” and amend their zoning ordinances so that they can better control where or how many cannabis retail locations open. The board approved the motion.

Robbie Blish from Mac Mountain, a company out of Woodstock, is looking to improve cell phone coverage in underserved areas of the state. The company would rent a site up to 40 feet from the town, where they would install an inconspicuous cell phone pole, which “could look like a light pole if you wanted it to,” Blish explained. Mac Mountain in turn rents the pole to up to two carriers to increase signal within a 3-4 mile radius of its location.

There is a “need of better public safety,” Blish said. “If people can’t call for help, it doesn’t do anyone any good.” A benefit of the small tower sites is the ability to put it right in town, whereas the larger cell phone towers on top of hills have signals that “are shadowing the valleys where people live and drive.”

Blish explained he would send an example of an options agreement, which starts with a two-year trial period, and if the town commits, Mac Mountain would set up a lease agreement where the town would get $500 per month, which can be renewed every five years with a 2.5% revenue increase for the town at each renewal. The board will review and discuss the cell tower at the next selectboard meeting.

Selectman Rick Kaminski reported on the updated figures for the town building weatherization project, which has recently been estimated at $1.5 million by VMS Construction, much higher than the original $843,000 proposed construction budget. He explained it took a long time to put those numbers together. It was extremely difficult for VMS to get subcontractors to commit to a project a year out, and when estimating on labor and materials they had to “carry reasonable allowances for the expenses.” A $123,000 contingency was built into the overall estimate.

Kaminski said the town can: 1) abandon the project all together; 2) try to fix parts and pieces of the building in most urgent need; or 3) continue with the project at it’s entirety and look into alternate funding such as a bond. In order to spend that amount of money the town would need to warn a town meeting and have a vote.

He continued that it may not be as easy as fixing just a few things. The roof is leaking and needs to be redone, which is a major item and complicated job. The heating system has “outrun it’s life, the boiler is ready to go.” He emphasized that the initial approved budget and plan covered a list of critical projects for the building.

Cappellini suggested looking into other options such as renovating the old schoolhouse for the town hall offices, which could come within the budget they’ve already established. Kaminski is going to look into the bond, interest rates, and how that might affect taxes so the board can make a better-educated decision. The weatherization project will be on the agenda at the next selectboard meeting.

The board also updated their short-term rental ordinance to be more user friendly, clarifying some frequently asked questions about the ordinance. They briefly discussed a pending town-wide property reappraisal, though a date has not been set. The town received their first application from Good Commons for the ARPA funding grant, which allows up to $7,500 to each applicant who can attest that they suffered from hardships from Covid and use the funds to make improvements to their building or grounds. The board will take applications as they come, and grant them upon needs and impact to the town. The board also established new coverage for employees, granting part time workers paid 8-hour holidays, and also amending current medical coverage for full time workers to allow those employees the option to pay to upgrade their medical insurance to a platinum plan or add on family plans if they choose.

The next Plymouth Selectboard meeting is Monday, June 20 at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall and via Zoom.