SAUGUS Your Local News & Sports Online. Subscribe Here! CAT D CAT LIGHTING UP FOR PEACE S TE Vol. 25, No.50 -FREE- www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday 781-233-4446 Friday, December 15, 2023 a unanimous vote Finally, Selectmen settle on Sanctuary medicinals, one of seven candidates hoping to locate a retail marijuana dispensary in Saugus By Mark E. Vogler anctuary Medicinals – one of seven applicants seeking to locate a retail marijuana dispensary in Saugus – was the only one left standing after Tuesday (Dec. 12) night’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting. After denying the requests of fi ve other candidates for a special permit (S-2) under town zoning bylaws, selectmen voted 4-0 to issue one of three available S-2 permits. Sanctuary Medicinals has submitted plans to build its dispensary at 181 Broadway, site of the former 99 Restaurant. Issuance of the S-2 permit enables the company to enter into a host community agreement with Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. The role of selectmen in the This menorah, which was provided by Chabad of the North Shore, lit up the front lawn at Saugus Town Hall this week as town offi cials and community leaders joined area people of the Jewish Faith in celebrating Chanukah – which began last week (Dec. 7) and ends at sundown today (Friday, Dec. 15). Lighting the menorah symbolizes the hope and resilience that refl ect the triumph of light over darkness. Please see inside for more photos and a story. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) process that would lead Saugus to getting its fi rst retail marijuana business is strictly focused on considering the safety and desirability of the location and its impact on the town. The issue of potential benefi ts to the town would be an issue when Crabtree meets with Sanctuary offi cials to negotiate an agreement. Sanctuary was only one of two candidates that received a recommendation from the seven-member Marijuana Establishment Review Committee (MERC) for the S-2 permit. The business received a total of 118 points out of a possible 140 in a scoring system. “The Respondent’s proposed location is advantageous, and its extensive cannabis experience and current vertical integration business model are signifi cant benefi ts,” the committee concluded in its analysis. “The Respondent appeared to be one of the strongest positioned to open, succeed, and provide minimal or manageable impact to the surrounding neighborhood,” it noted. Uma Flowers, LLC, with a proposed location at 24 Broadway (Route 1 North) – the site of a former house that was torn down – was the unanimous selection of the seven-member committee, achieving a perfect score of 140 total points, based on an “exceptional” rating by each member in each of the fi ve categories that were considered. But Uma Flowers could only muster three of the selectmen’s four votes for the issuance of an S-2 permit. Selectman Anthony Cogliano, who has been an outspoken critic of the MERC report and its ranking of Uma Flowers with a perfect score, cast the lone vote against Uma Flowers. “I don’t believe it’s in the top three locations,” Cogliano said at Tuesday night’s meeting. VOTE | SEE PAGE 2 MARCHETTI CORP. 5 Regular Unleaded $3.059 Mid Unleaded $3.739 Super $4.059 Diesel Fuel $3.959 Gift Certificates Available! Heating Oil at the Pump $4.759 $3.59 9 DEF 3 HEATING OIL Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) DEF Available by Pump! 24-Hour Burner Service Open an account and order online at: Hours: Monday thru Friday 6 AM to 7 PM / Saturdays 7 AM to 5 PM / Sundays 9 AM to 5 PM FLEET Prices subject to change
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