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NOVEMBER 14, 2019
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WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Can cannabis be controlled locally? Board briefed on ramifications of statewide retail legalization By Jason Starr Observer staff
THC processing centers with attached tasting rooms; Cannabis growers offering on-site samples; medical marijuana dispensaries converting into full scale retail; new pot retailers opening in historic villages.
These are the possibilities Vermont municipalities will face under cannabis legislation set to be debated in the Statehouse come January. Gwynn Zakov, a municipal policy advocate with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), briefed the Williston Selectboard on Tuesday about the particulars of
Serendipity at Synergy
the bill and how local governments can regulate the retail cannabis market it would establish. Zakov believes the bill (S.54) doesn’t give local communities enough control over the location and operations of pot retailers. She urged the board to join the VLCT in lobbying legislators for greater local control. “It’s all figured out at the state level by folks who don’t understand municipal issues,” she said. “They
don’t understand the burden it puts on municipalities.” One major win for localities in the bill is the requirement for towns to opt in to allow retail pot stores. A previous version of the bill had automatically allowed it statewide, Zakov said, with towns having the ability to opt out. So, if the law passes and is signed by the governor, a first step for towns that want to host retail stores is for a majority of voters to approve
it on Town Meeting Day or through a special election. That won’t apply to growers, edible manufacturers or THC processors, which will be enabled statewide under the bill. The town already has a handful of hemp growing and processing operations, Planning Director Matt Boulanger said, and he expects they will take on cannabis growing and processing if the bill passes. see CANNABIS page 3
New owner steps up to revive fitness center By Jason Starr Observer staff
With an email blast, a Facebook post and a sign on the door, a 500-member gym in the Whitecap Business Park on Industrial Avenue abruptly closed one Friday afternoon in late October. Just as suddenly, a local family with an entrepreneurial history picked up the reins and had the doors back open three days later. Emily Crofton had completed a workout the day before the closure at Synergy Fitness, where she has been a member for two years. Nothing seemed amiss. The gym originally opened in 2008, with one behind-the-scenes ownership change happening in 2012. Crofton is an employee at VBT Bicycling Vacations, one of several businesses in the Whitecap Business Park. With its café, daily fitness class schedule, on-site chiropractic and massage and rows of weights and fitness equipment, Synergy is a natural fit for employees in the building. “It didn’t seem like anything was changing,” Crofton said of her Oct. 24 session. The next morning, an email from Synergy announced the closing. “Economically we had no choice,” it said. “I was pretty devastated,” Crofton said, adding that Synergy was her clear choice for membership after visiting other
Observer photo by Jason Starr
Erik Shepard found out about Synergy Fitness closing on Oct. 25. Three days later, he had purchased and reopened the gym.
gyms in the area. “I was at a loss.” Dozens of patrons expressed similar sentiments on Synergy’s Facebook page. Erik Shepard, a South Burlington High School native who grew up in the recreational vehicle business as the son of the longtime owners of Pete’s RV, noticed the Facebook chatter. His friend, one of Synergy’s instructors, posted a picture of the “permanently closed”
door sign. For Shepard, it was an opportunity at just the right time. He had been weighing new business possibilies since moving back to Vermont in 2017 after a six-year stint in Florida. During one of his visits to Vermont during his Florida years, he had tried a 10-day pass at Synergy. see SYNERGY page 3
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