BLANDFORD – Marijuana cultivator Belle Fleur LLC hosted a community outreach meeting via Zoom on Sept. 3 to talk about their plan for an indoor and outdoor grow operation on nine acres of land at 140 Otis Stage Rd., currently owned by Kurt Hansen.  The company is going through the permitting process with the town and the state.

Attorney Blake Mensing said Belle Fleur would be cultivating marijuana for the wholesale market, in a business to business only operation. He said the property would be fenced in and secure, with limited access areas available only with a key fob, pin pad or biometrics.  

Mensing also spoke about the strict regulations in Massachusetts, which control most aspects of the business, adding that applicants must give up some of their constitutional rights to enter the process.

“This is an arena where you can’t cut corners, or break rules. (It takes) time, effort, blood, sweat and tears to open,” Mensing said, calling it a marathon process.  He added that he’s worked with Belle Fleur for a while, and said they are “serious smart professionals,” with previous marijuana experience in California.

As an example of the regulatory process, Mensing said there will be a seed to sale software platform to track each plant.

If one ends up in the hands of a minor, Belle Fleur will know which business bought that plant, and will be able to track how it got there.

Mensing said the operation would not be visible from the street, and no one under 21 would be permitted to enter or tour the building. He said the only people allowed in would be people who work there, potential licensed buyers, and state regulators.

Belle Fleur CFO Domenico Cardarelli said part of the Host Community Agreement which is being negotiated with the town will be a community impact fee of up to three percent of gross sales, and the company will also give back in other ways. Cardarelli said that Hansen already made some suggestions, such as supporting the White Church, or hosting annual events at the Blandford fairgrounds.

“None of the principals are from  Blandford, and they want to make it their home and their business home,” Mensing said.

Assistant Town Clerk Mary Kronholm noted that recently the town lost power for several hours, and asked if the company would have a generator, and if so, how big and how noisy.

The company said they would likely have a large generator buried underground, and this would be a part of the site plan review process.

Another resident asked about fertilizers, pesticides, and runoff. Mensing said no pesticides are allowed in Mass. whatsoever, for marijuana cultivation.

He said since the business is not federally permitted, the FDA doesn’t approve the use of any commercial pesticides, which he added is a positive from a consumer’s perspective.

He said only “super, low risk” chemicals may be used for pesticides and fertilizer, and heavy metal testing on all plants is performed.  As for runoff, Mensing said that the majority of water used to grow the plants, which he said is the biggest expense, would be reclaimed and reused.  

Cardarelli said they plan to build a well, and have found two potential sites with plenty of water.  He said the land also did well on perc tests for a septic system.  In response to a question, he said the well and perc tests were done by White Wolf, a local company.

When asked how much traffic they anticipate, Mensing replied because it’s a wholesale only operation, there may be a truck coming once a week, maximum.  He said they would be sprinter van sized trucks, not big box or 18-wheeler trucks.

Mensing said the next step will be approval of the site plan for the agricultural business, which is still being worked out.

“This is the first step of many. How can we make this the best corporate citizen possible? The stakes are too high, too much time, money (invested) to do it the wrong way,” he said, adding, “We look forward to being a part of Blandford.”