Safe Alternatives, Frenchville Selectmen reach agreement

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FRENCHVILLE - The medical marijuana dispensary Safe Alternatives and Frenchville's Board of Selectmen have come to an agreement regarding licensing provisions for the dispensary to operate a cultivation facility on Route 1.

On Wednesday, Jan. 9, the board voted to approve a settlement that allowed provisions for Safe Alternatives to maintain the cultivation facility's current location, even though a municipal ordinance mandates any medical marijuana facility to be located at least 100 feet from any property line.

The settlement also allows Safe Alternatives to continue their practice of keeping on file 30 days of surveillance recordings, rather than the municipal mandate of 90 days.

In August 2012, Safe Alternatives filed an appeal against the town with Aroostook Superior Court after the planning board rejected their application for operation on Route 1 and claimed that these issues deemed the dispensary non-compliant, in light of a municipal ordinance residents carried in June 2012 that was backdated to Aug. 10, 2010.

During mediation between the two parties last week, they reached a settlement which designated the current cultivation facility and length of surveillance retention as having "non-conforming use," according to the town's attorney Frederick Costlow.

At the Jan. 9 board meeting, selectmen voted unanimously to approve the settlement, according to town manager Casey Cote.

"The appeal's going to be stayed until August, then withdrawn," said Cote, as long as everything matches the terms of the settlement and licensing application.

According to Cote, representatives or directors of Safe Alternatives were absent from the meeting.

On Thursday, Jan. 10, Cote planned to contact Safe Alternatives' attorney to inform him that the settlement had been approved.

"The board was pleased last night that an agreement could be reached," said Cote.