MONTAGUE, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The town of Montague is seeking an independent study of cannabis odor complaints in the industrial park.
Flower Power Growers on Industrial Boulevard hired consultants this summer to collect and analyze data, which concluded that only faint odors of cannabis were detected. Joshua Goldman, the co-founder of Flower Power Growers suggested that the measures taken by the company to mitigate the odors have been effective.
“The odor levels emitted by (Flower Power Growers) in all the observations we’ve heard from those of you who have been there, are consistent with other industries located in industrial parks, and not at a level that’s anything beyond faint,” said Goldman. “I think that we’ve made significant progress.”
Montague Director of Public Health Ryan Paxton said the Board of Health was interested in continuing to monitor the situation, but at this time did not view this as a case of “nuisance odor”.
One of the abutters that has been vocal in their displeasure with the odors has been the Ja’Duke Preschool. Owner Nick Waynelovich reiterated that there is still a strong smell coming from the facility that has negatively impacted operations at the preschool.
“(Flower Power) sends out a person, they sit someplace for fifteen minutes, and they say ‘we don’t smell anything,'” said Waynelovich. “But we smell something, and we don’t know the toxicity of it. The town has a responsibility to protect us as citizens and the 150 children at Ja’Duke, and if that means we need a third-party, completely independent study, then that’s what we should do.”
The Selectboard voted 2-1 in favor of having Town Administrator Walter Ramsey research firms that could conduct an independent study, and to determine a reasonable cost for that study.