Christine Green
New Member
Nunn - Town board members voted Saturday to make the town a little greener – in cash and crops.
In the first of three votes to revise the town's rules on marijuana, the Nunn Town Board voted 5-2 on an ordinance to overturn the town's marijuana moratorium, which completely prohibited cultivation and retail sales of the crop. After that, they voted 6-1 to ban retail sales of pot, while allowing its cultivation.
Mayor Tom Bender stressed at the meeting that only the growing of marijuana would be allowed within town borders and that any sort of weed retail or dispensaries would be prohibited as long as the current board members remain in charge.
"As long as this board stays the way it is, we will never sell marijuana here," he said.
In the third vote of the day, the board decided 6-1 to change the zoning of Nunn to allow for an industrial growing district, as the town does not currently have a specific "grow zone" within its limits. This process needs to be completed before the operators of a proposed 22,000-square-foot marijuana greenhouse can begin operations in the town.
"Hopefully it'll bring in other businesses and jobs. It'll be a good thing considering we're an agricultural community anyway. How can you say no to someone wanting to grow something?– Axel Lark, Nunn resident
The town already has agricultural zones, but marijuana does not fall under that category because a license is needed to produce it, Bender said.
Fort Collins-based real estate company St. NoCo Acquisitions, 4645 Ziegler Road, owns a roughly 50-acre plot of land off Weld County Road 100 and U.S. 85 on the northeastern edge of Nunn. St. NoCo owners Terry Younglove and Scott Mattoch proposed the idea of a marijuana greenhouse because they knew the town needed business, Bender said.
"I'm happy they approached us," Board Trustee Ace Callaway said. "This industry is a good opportunity for communities like this with such limited income."
The greenhouse would be run by experts Mathew and William Bauerle, who already have experience in the marijuana industry, according to the proposal.
St. NoCo is not new to the Nunn area either, as it has many other properties within the town. Bender said it would be the only company allowed to have a growing operation in Nunn, at least for the first five years.
He said for five years, the company would essentially be a part of the town's trial run for marijuana cultivation. Officials would observe how the industry operates, how the business works with the state and how well the business actually works in bringing in revenue for the town.
One main reason for voting in favor of marijuana cultivation is to see how much money it will generate. And if everything goes as planned, the total would be a decent chunk of change for the town – roughly $35,000 per month when first starting out, Callaway said.
According to Callaway, the town would receive 5 percent of the value of each plant grown in the facility, based on the negotiations underway with St. NoCo.
Both medical and recreational marijuana plants will be grown, and although every board member said they were against the recreational use of the crop, most agreed it would benefit the town's shrinking coffers.
"I hope with the bad money we can make some good money," Board Trustee Terrence Tinsley said.
The proposal also states the company would provide 24/7 security of the facility – at no additional cost to Nunn residents.
Job opportunities and business growth are topics Nunn residents who support the marijuana greenhouse said are important to them. They also said the money that will be made is a huge factor.
"Hopefully it'll bring in other businesses and jobs," Nunn resident Axel Lark said at the meeting. "It'll be a good thing considering we're an agricultural community anyway. How can you say no to someone wanting to grow something?"
And according to Bender, St. NoCo promised to offer jobs to Nunn locals first before bringing in anyone new. The proposal states the operation could provide anywhere from 10-75 new jobs within the community.
Nunn resident David Richling also said he is excited about the greenhouse. He said it will provide opportunities for the town to grow.
"If there is no opportunity, no one is going to stay," Richling said. "(The town) is not going to lose on this deal."
Although Bender said about 70 percent of community members he's talked to are in favor of the greenhouse, others have concerns about crime, property values, grow odor and the traffic of unwanted people it might bring in.
Town Trustee Russel Lincoln was the only member to vote against the greenhouse consistently. He said he wanted to voice the concerns of residents who do not want marijuana in their town.
"I believe that many of us in this community hold traditional family values," he said. "Recreational marijuana is not one of those."
Town Clerk and Treasurer Cathy Payne said those who do not technically live in Nunn but outside of it were the ones who expressed the most emotion against the greenhouse at a hearing earlier this month.
"People have been here forever and do not want to change," she said. "We're a small town so things get a lot more emotional here. ... Everyone knows everyone."
After Saturday's votes, the next step will be to decide the details of the new "grow zone" district, including exact boundaries and location. Callaway said a lot of the specifics still need to be negotiated and decided, but the cultivation of marijuana should turn things around for Nunn.
"Today was just opening the door," he said.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Nunn Board Members Vote to Allow the Cultivation of Marijuana in Town Limits
Author: Katarina Velazquez
Contact: kvelazquez@greeleytribune.com
Photo Credit: Christine Green
Website: The Tribune, Serving Greeley and Weld County, CO
In the first of three votes to revise the town's rules on marijuana, the Nunn Town Board voted 5-2 on an ordinance to overturn the town's marijuana moratorium, which completely prohibited cultivation and retail sales of the crop. After that, they voted 6-1 to ban retail sales of pot, while allowing its cultivation.
Mayor Tom Bender stressed at the meeting that only the growing of marijuana would be allowed within town borders and that any sort of weed retail or dispensaries would be prohibited as long as the current board members remain in charge.
"As long as this board stays the way it is, we will never sell marijuana here," he said.
In the third vote of the day, the board decided 6-1 to change the zoning of Nunn to allow for an industrial growing district, as the town does not currently have a specific "grow zone" within its limits. This process needs to be completed before the operators of a proposed 22,000-square-foot marijuana greenhouse can begin operations in the town.
"Hopefully it'll bring in other businesses and jobs. It'll be a good thing considering we're an agricultural community anyway. How can you say no to someone wanting to grow something?– Axel Lark, Nunn resident
The town already has agricultural zones, but marijuana does not fall under that category because a license is needed to produce it, Bender said.
Fort Collins-based real estate company St. NoCo Acquisitions, 4645 Ziegler Road, owns a roughly 50-acre plot of land off Weld County Road 100 and U.S. 85 on the northeastern edge of Nunn. St. NoCo owners Terry Younglove and Scott Mattoch proposed the idea of a marijuana greenhouse because they knew the town needed business, Bender said.
"I'm happy they approached us," Board Trustee Ace Callaway said. "This industry is a good opportunity for communities like this with such limited income."
The greenhouse would be run by experts Mathew and William Bauerle, who already have experience in the marijuana industry, according to the proposal.
St. NoCo is not new to the Nunn area either, as it has many other properties within the town. Bender said it would be the only company allowed to have a growing operation in Nunn, at least for the first five years.
He said for five years, the company would essentially be a part of the town's trial run for marijuana cultivation. Officials would observe how the industry operates, how the business works with the state and how well the business actually works in bringing in revenue for the town.
One main reason for voting in favor of marijuana cultivation is to see how much money it will generate. And if everything goes as planned, the total would be a decent chunk of change for the town – roughly $35,000 per month when first starting out, Callaway said.
According to Callaway, the town would receive 5 percent of the value of each plant grown in the facility, based on the negotiations underway with St. NoCo.
Both medical and recreational marijuana plants will be grown, and although every board member said they were against the recreational use of the crop, most agreed it would benefit the town's shrinking coffers.
"I hope with the bad money we can make some good money," Board Trustee Terrence Tinsley said.
The proposal also states the company would provide 24/7 security of the facility – at no additional cost to Nunn residents.
Job opportunities and business growth are topics Nunn residents who support the marijuana greenhouse said are important to them. They also said the money that will be made is a huge factor.
"Hopefully it'll bring in other businesses and jobs," Nunn resident Axel Lark said at the meeting. "It'll be a good thing considering we're an agricultural community anyway. How can you say no to someone wanting to grow something?"
And according to Bender, St. NoCo promised to offer jobs to Nunn locals first before bringing in anyone new. The proposal states the operation could provide anywhere from 10-75 new jobs within the community.
Nunn resident David Richling also said he is excited about the greenhouse. He said it will provide opportunities for the town to grow.
"If there is no opportunity, no one is going to stay," Richling said. "(The town) is not going to lose on this deal."
Although Bender said about 70 percent of community members he's talked to are in favor of the greenhouse, others have concerns about crime, property values, grow odor and the traffic of unwanted people it might bring in.
Town Trustee Russel Lincoln was the only member to vote against the greenhouse consistently. He said he wanted to voice the concerns of residents who do not want marijuana in their town.
"I believe that many of us in this community hold traditional family values," he said. "Recreational marijuana is not one of those."
Town Clerk and Treasurer Cathy Payne said those who do not technically live in Nunn but outside of it were the ones who expressed the most emotion against the greenhouse at a hearing earlier this month.
"People have been here forever and do not want to change," she said. "We're a small town so things get a lot more emotional here. ... Everyone knows everyone."
After Saturday's votes, the next step will be to decide the details of the new "grow zone" district, including exact boundaries and location. Callaway said a lot of the specifics still need to be negotiated and decided, but the cultivation of marijuana should turn things around for Nunn.
"Today was just opening the door," he said.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Nunn Board Members Vote to Allow the Cultivation of Marijuana in Town Limits
Author: Katarina Velazquez
Contact: kvelazquez@greeleytribune.com
Photo Credit: Christine Green
Website: The Tribune, Serving Greeley and Weld County, CO
