At their meeting April 13, the Waldoboro Planning Board voted unanimously to approve drafts of two ordinances: one to govern methadone clinics and one to govern medical marijuana cultivation and distribution facilities.
The drafts will next go to a public hearing with the planning board in a few weeks, then to the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen for their approval, then to another public hearing, before going before voters at referendum, hopefully this November.
There was some discussion at the meeting of trying to have the ordinance ready for the ballot in June, but it was decided that “it’s important to give the public ample opportunity to comment on these,” said Code Enforcement Officer Misty Gorski. “A lot of people have expressed concerns about this issue.”
As of Jan. 11, Waldoboro has had moratoria in place preventing any methadone clinics or medical marijuana dispensaries. Those moratoria are in effect until July of this year, at which time the selectmen will have the option of extending them for another six months.
The moratorium and the creation of draft ordinances followed concerns from several residents, and a sense among town officials that current ordinance leaves the town little ability to control these types of facilities.
There have not been any applications requesting to open a methadone clinic, medical marijuana dispensary or cultivation facility in Waldoboro, town officials said.
The draft ordinances approved on April 13 allow state regulations to govern most details of methadone clinic and medical marijuana dispensary operation, placing specific restrictions on only a handful of aspects.
“We’re trying to appear reasonable, but we’re also trying to control what’s going on,” said Planning Board member Ed Karkow at the April 13 meeting. “We don’t want a plethora of these things.”
Under the draft ordinances, the following restrictions will be placed on methadone clinics, medical marijuana dispensaries and medical marijuana cultivation facilities:
For any of these types of facilities, approval by the planning board will be contingent on appropriate state certification.
All three types of facilities will be restricted to the Rt. 1 Commercial A District. This district consists of a band following Rt. 1 from the Nobleboro line to just before the intersection with Rt. 32, then from about Moody’s Diner to the Warren line.
Ample parking must be provided at the facilities, and methadone clinics are required to have sufficient inside seating. “Waiting or queuing of patients outside of the clinic building will not be tolerated.”
No such restrictions on waiting areas are provided in the medical marijuana facility ordinance.
For medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities, all related activities, including, but not limited to, “cultivating, growing, processing, displaying, selling and storage shall be conducted indoors and shall not be visible from outside.”
State regulations regarding medical marijuana facilities already control many aspects of these facilities, such as setbacks from schools and the requirement that all cultivation facilities be enclosed and locked, Gorski said.
Waldoboro’s ordinances go further, requiring “evidence of on-site security” at all three types of facilities. “At a minimum … facilities shall have door and window intrusion alarms with audible and police notification components.”
Medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities are also required to have video surveillance. Cultivation facilities are required to have 24-hour video surveillance; dispensaries are required to have video surveillance at a minimum “at all times that the facility is not open to patients.”
No video surveillance is required at methadone clinics.
The draft ordinance also states that only one registered cultivation facility and one registered dispensary will be allowed in Waldoboro. There is no such limit on the number of methadone clinics allowed by the draft ordinance.
The first public hearing on the ordinances will likely be held in conjunction with the planning board’s regular meeting, Wed., May 11 at the town office. That date, however, has not officially been set; the exact date and time of the public hearing will be announced soon, Gorski said.
