COO Joseph P. Keenan, MD, and his son, Thomas P. Keenan, Esq., legal counsel for Heka Health, Inc., following the site permit approval for the medical marijuana dispensary by the Planning Board Tuesday night. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – The Planning Board considered a stormwater management waiver request Tuesday for Heka Health, Inc. a Westfield-based company with plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary at 98 Sgt. TM Dion Way.
Planning board chair Philip McEwan said the usage has already been approved, and the matter at hand was a site plan discussion.
Landscape architect Robert Levesque of R. Levesque Associates presented the plans for the site to the board, and said the request for a waiver was based on being in an existing facility owned by Mark A. Depuis, Heka health CEO. Levesque said the 2.2 acres are on an industrial road that is primarily paved, and adjacent to the turnpike, airport, the state police, a cemetery and a recycling plant.
“We are here for the city of Westfield’s first dispensary marijuana operation,” Levesque said.
He said the existing building will be reconfigured for usage, but couldn’t go into more details of the building layout for security purposes. Heka Health has reviewed the plans with the Westfield police department, according to Levesque.
McEwan said that the facility operates under a lot of state controls, referring to 12 pages of operational and site procedures for the business.
Also speaking for Heka was Thomas P. Keenan, legal counsel. Keenan answered questions from the planning board about the growing business. He said regulations won’t allow for non-organic fertilizer, and the plants will be grown in a hydroponic system.
“In recent years, there has been a push to recreationalize marijuana. How will that impact business?” asked Planning Board member Carl Vincent.
Keenan said there is a ballot measure to that end, but if it is passed, the Legislature said they will change it quite a bit.
Keenan said Heka’s permit is for the facility in Westfield, which will also include a dispensary that will be open to the public, and for dispensaries in West Springfield and Pittsfield. The Westfield facility will serve all three dispensaries, making deliveries in non-descript vehicles, as well as home deliveries.
Planning Board member Cheryl Crowe asked about numbers of employees and hours of operation.
Keenan said the city ordinance allows for operation between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., and right now the company is “playing around with” 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He said there would be typically 20-30 employees, with a maximum capacity of 35-40.
He said the dispensary area, which would be at the Sgt. TM Dion Way end of the building and separated by security from the rest of the building, would have 5-10 employees, including security people and “bud tenders.”
“Will there be extensive background checks on employees?” Crowe asked.
Keenan said there will be CORI checks, and checks for other disqualifying offenses, including felonies, violent crimes, weapon charges and drug charges, all of which automatically disqualify prospective employees. Keenan said there are some grey areas, which will be at the discretion of the business. “They won’t have to be squeaky clean,” he said.
Vincent asked about the projections of customers, and cars per hour.
Dupuis said they are projecting 100 car turns a day at the business.
Planning board member William Carellas asked about signage, and whether the business would be taking over the International Paper Sign at the site.
“Regarding signage, there are regulations over that also,” Dupuis said.
Keenan added that no marijuana pictures and no neon are allowed.
Also speaking in support of the plan was COO Dr. Joseph Keenan, Attorney Keenan’s father, who also heads the board of directors. Dr. Keenan said over his 37 year practice he has had patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and the impact from chemotherapy who have had to break the law to get some relief from their symptoms.
“I’m happy to see it passed,” Keenan said. “It is much needed, and much overdue.”
McEwan told the Planning Board that he also had a letter from the Westfield Police Chief and the Police Commission in support of the facility.
Keenan said there would be no access to the facility from any of the neighboring properties, and there would be 24-hour video surveillance that would be coordinated by and meet the requirements of the Westfield police.
The Planning Board then moved and passed the waiver, and the site permit was granted.
Following the meeting, Thomas Keenan said that the West Springfield dispensary is currently going through a zoning ordinance amendment. He said they plan to start reconfiguring the Westfield building in June, and currently have a projected opening of January, 2017.
