Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
About 100 people turned out Jan. 31 in Eastlake for an informational meeting on bringing a medical marijuana cultivating facility to the city.
The proposed site for the facility is the former JFK Community Center property at 33505 Curtis Blvd. It has been unused for about 15 years.
Buckeye Relief, previously referred to as Big Game Capital, would purchase the property pending approval of the state licences needed to open the medical marijuana facility.
On hand at the meeting to answer residents' questions were Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley; state Sen. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, who helped get the bill legalizing medical marijuana passed in Ohio; Andrew Rayburn of Buckeye Relief; Brian Vicente, an attorney specializing in marijuana who helped write the laws for several other states; and Lewis Merletti, security consultant for Buckeye Relief and former United States Secret Service director.
"This would be the ground floor," Morley said. "There would be 14 of these in the state, and we would be on the ground level of this."
Yuko feels there is great potential in having this facility.
"This is strictly a business that has tremendous medicinal value. It could be a game changer for lives," he said. "We are always talking about a new business, and this is a new business."
The facility is planned to be 60,000 square feet with state-of-the-art security, according to Rayburn.
It will include air and water filtration systems, and a foot berm of trees will surround it to keep it from view of neighboring houses. Between the berm and the facility will be a fence.
It is not a heavy manufacturing facility, Rayburn said, meaning relativity little to no noise and no heavy traffic.
About 25,000 feet of plants would be cultivated, processed and dried prior to shipping to dispensaries around Northeast Ohio, he said.
During the first year, the building will be staffed with about 30 employees from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the second year of operations, it's expected that the facility will employ about 50 people.
"We are talking about a first-class operation, treating people that work there in a first-class way and producing first-class medicine to help as many people as we possibly can," Rayburn said.
Rayburn plans to start construction pending licensing this fall and hopes to operational by September 2018.
Application for licensing is expected in June, according to Vicente, but the city needs to plan now as Buckeye Relief needs a business address in the application.
One of the concerns raised regarded costs to the city or potential tax abatements.
Morley said that there would be no tax abatements given, and that the city would profit from the licensing fees, property taxes and income taxes.
Others wondered about the possibility of dispensaries in the city.
Morley couldn't say there wouldn't be dispensaries, saying "we will wait until the rules come out and decide if we want any and how many."
Questions of security were fielded by Merletti
"I will be working with (Police) Chief (Larry) Reik. It will be like a partnership; if there is something the chief says he wants done or doesn't want done, it will be a real working partnership," Merletti said.
"It will be high technology, and a real showcase of security that will be at no risk at all to law enforcement, public safety or anybody," he continued.
A sign-up sheet was available for anyone who had additional questions, wanted any additional information or was interested in employment opportunities.
"The informational meeting provided a great opportunity for residents to learn about the proposed facility and its operation. We continue to move forward exploring all revenue-generating avenues," council President Laura DePledge said.
Additional information on Buckeye Relief and its proposed medical marijuana cultivating facility can be found at Buckeye Relief.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Potential Medical Marijuana Site In Eastlake Discussed At Public Meeting
Author: Kristi Garabrandt
Contact: 440-951-0000
Photo Credit: Andy Colwell
Website: The News-Herald
The proposed site for the facility is the former JFK Community Center property at 33505 Curtis Blvd. It has been unused for about 15 years.
Buckeye Relief, previously referred to as Big Game Capital, would purchase the property pending approval of the state licences needed to open the medical marijuana facility.
On hand at the meeting to answer residents' questions were Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley; state Sen. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, who helped get the bill legalizing medical marijuana passed in Ohio; Andrew Rayburn of Buckeye Relief; Brian Vicente, an attorney specializing in marijuana who helped write the laws for several other states; and Lewis Merletti, security consultant for Buckeye Relief and former United States Secret Service director.
"This would be the ground floor," Morley said. "There would be 14 of these in the state, and we would be on the ground level of this."
Yuko feels there is great potential in having this facility.
"This is strictly a business that has tremendous medicinal value. It could be a game changer for lives," he said. "We are always talking about a new business, and this is a new business."
The facility is planned to be 60,000 square feet with state-of-the-art security, according to Rayburn.
It will include air and water filtration systems, and a foot berm of trees will surround it to keep it from view of neighboring houses. Between the berm and the facility will be a fence.
It is not a heavy manufacturing facility, Rayburn said, meaning relativity little to no noise and no heavy traffic.
About 25,000 feet of plants would be cultivated, processed and dried prior to shipping to dispensaries around Northeast Ohio, he said.
During the first year, the building will be staffed with about 30 employees from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the second year of operations, it's expected that the facility will employ about 50 people.
"We are talking about a first-class operation, treating people that work there in a first-class way and producing first-class medicine to help as many people as we possibly can," Rayburn said.
Rayburn plans to start construction pending licensing this fall and hopes to operational by September 2018.
Application for licensing is expected in June, according to Vicente, but the city needs to plan now as Buckeye Relief needs a business address in the application.
One of the concerns raised regarded costs to the city or potential tax abatements.
Morley said that there would be no tax abatements given, and that the city would profit from the licensing fees, property taxes and income taxes.
Others wondered about the possibility of dispensaries in the city.
Morley couldn't say there wouldn't be dispensaries, saying "we will wait until the rules come out and decide if we want any and how many."
Questions of security were fielded by Merletti
"I will be working with (Police) Chief (Larry) Reik. It will be like a partnership; if there is something the chief says he wants done or doesn't want done, it will be a real working partnership," Merletti said.
"It will be high technology, and a real showcase of security that will be at no risk at all to law enforcement, public safety or anybody," he continued.
A sign-up sheet was available for anyone who had additional questions, wanted any additional information or was interested in employment opportunities.
"The informational meeting provided a great opportunity for residents to learn about the proposed facility and its operation. We continue to move forward exploring all revenue-generating avenues," council President Laura DePledge said.
Additional information on Buckeye Relief and its proposed medical marijuana cultivating facility can be found at Buckeye Relief.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Potential Medical Marijuana Site In Eastlake Discussed At Public Meeting
Author: Kristi Garabrandt
Contact: 440-951-0000
Photo Credit: Andy Colwell
Website: The News-Herald
