Consultants for a company planning to open up a medical marijuana dispensary in Elmwood Park fielded questions at a recent Village Board meeting.
Matthew O’Shea, of Matthew O’Shea Consulting Inc., and Patrick White, vice president of Augustus Global LLC, both located in Oak Brook Terrace, attended the Dec. 7 Elmwood Park Village Board meeting representing Floramedex Inc., which plans to set up the dispensary in the village at 7955 W. Grand Ave.
Elmwood Park Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano said during the meeting that he asked company representatives to come to the board meeting so members of the board and citizens could find out more about what the business is all about.
Saviano said he hopes the money put into the business will spur more economic development on that section of Grand.
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O’Shea, who has a law enforcement background, talked mostly about what security measures will be put into the building. He said the dispensary will have high-quality surveillance cameras inside and outside the building, and only those with proper state-approved identification will be able to purchase the medical marijuana.
Customers entering the dispensary will first enter a “man trap,” which allows one person into a video-monitored area where ID to purchase medical marijuana is checked. If it checks out, the customer would then be let into another area to purchase the medical marijuana.
“There will be no personal contact between the two people,” he said. “It will be like a person dealing with a bank teller through a drive-thru.”
The marijuana will be pre-packaged, and sold at a set price.
There will be an off-duty police officer at the site as well. O’Shea said delivery of the product to the site will not be done on a set schedule as a safety precaution.
“Our intention is to have a relationship with the police department so they will know what they will be walking into,” he said.
Before the business opens, officials said there will be an opportunity for village officials to check out the facility. The consultants said Floramedex is spending over $1 million to build out the space, which was formerly home to a tool and dye company.
The consultants believe once they open the doors they will get at least 15 customers, but expects it to grow over time.
Saviano said the village will be entering into a revenue sharing agreement with Floramedex, but no details as to how much the village will receive has been disclosed.
Elmwood Park Trustee Anthony Del Santo, who questioned the consultants about the dispensary’s security measures, believes the new business will benefit the village.
“They do good, we do good,” he said. “It’s a win-win for the community. I’m happy with their safety measures.”
Twitter: @DavidDPollard