FK Town Council discusses marijuana, Pavilion, bridge

FORT KENT - On Monday night the Fort Kent Town Council had a tie vote on a request from the Planning Board for a public hearing on the definition of a word in the zoning ordinance.

Members of the council questioned whether the change in the definition of the term "agriculture" was related to the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana.

Town Manager Don Guimond said the planning board held a workshop two months ago addressing the issue of medical marijuana. From discussions at the workshop, the planning board determined they needed to make changes in the definition.

Councilor Robert Michaud asked if the proposed change to the definition would make it easier for someone to set up a marijuana dispensary.

He said, "Does it make the door easier for them to open?"

Guimond replied that a dispensary is already allowable under state law and the current zoning ordinance.

Michaud said, "It clarifies it for them in a positive way."

Guimond said, "I don't think so."

Planning Board Chair Danny Nicolas said, "The intent is to clarify or put more meaning to the definition of the processing and structure of agricultural products."

Councilor Joel Desjardin asked why the change was occurring now.

Guimond said "We tweak the ordinance on an ongoing basis."

On January 5, Leo Trudel of Safe Alternatives, a group with a license to open a dispensary for medical marijuana, asked the planning board how they might respond if he were to apply to put the dispensary in Fort Kent. According to the minutes from the Wednesday planning board meeting, the board told him they had already sent a recommendation for the change in the definition, and that it will only review an application when one is presented.

Michaud made a motion to approve the public hearing, and then he and Desjardin voted against it. Priscilla Staples and Chair Louis Moreau voted for it. Deadlocked, the motion failed for lack of a majority.

The Lions Club and American Legion requested a liquor license for a beer garden at the Lions' Den Pavilion during the World Cup Biathlon.

Don Guimond noted that during the huge event, there would be no guarantee that a police officer would be able to stay on the site during the hours of operation.

The American Legion Representative Bill Gallagher, said, "The American Legion will have four guys doing nothing but keeping order and checking IDs. We're going to over cover this."

Councilor Michaud said the original agreement between the town and the Lions Club was that there would be police present during events that included beer.

Councilor Priscilla Staples said, "People can and probably will bring in alcohol in their own vehicles."

A person attending the meeting said, "They would do that anyway, even if you had 100 cops."

Paul Berube said, "We could just cancel the event."

Michaud responded, "Threats-threats-threats."

Stef Gagne said, "I don't want to dismantle the agreement we made with the council. I want a waiver for this five-day event."

The council voted 3-1 to approve the waiver, with Michaud voting against.

Guimond informed the council that there were meetings coming up regarding the International Bridge.

On January 5, the Maine Department of Transportation posted a three-ton limit on the bridge.

Guimond said he was establishing a protocol to give emergency vehicles access to the bridge.

He also said there would be a meeting on Tuesday, January 11, and Wednesday at 9 a.m. to determine ways to manage the traffic on the bridge, including the International Parade of Lights. The Wednesday meeting may also determine if the MDOT will modify the weight limit to allow heavy vehicles to pass across the bridge by treating the route as a one-way bridge.

At the meeting the following day, Tuesday, Staples said her preliminary impression was that the light parade will happen, but that the floats were going to be well-spaced and "have to go right down the middle."

She said there would be no marching during the crossing in order to reduce the chance of setting up a constructive harmonic disturbance that could threaten the bridge, similar to soldiers falling out of cadence when troops cross a bridge en mass.