There will not be a medical marijuana growing and processing facility in Clarion Borough – at least not in the near future.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health last week issued 13 new Phase II medical marijuana grow facility permits, and Sunset Hills Medical did not win one of those permits.
“Sunset Hills Medical was not awarded a grower/processor permit,” Mike Barley, spokesman for Sunset Hills, acknowledged in an email exchange with the Clarion News. “We are deeply disappointed we didn’t receive the grower/processor permit, but we are awaiting word from the Department of Health to see if we are awarded a dispensary license.
Sunset Hills, a Butler-based business, was proposing to build a 25,000- to 50,000-square feet medical marijuana growing facility at the site of the former O-I glass plant in Clarion.
The proposed “grow” building location was to be part of the Miles Brothers’ GlassWorks Business Park in Clarion Borough. Sunset predicted the grow facility could result in about 120 jobs within five years.
Clarion County is in the Northwest Region for the medical marijuana program. It is designated Area 6 and is one of six regions.
The Department of Health last week issued 13 grow facility permits two for each region and one for the best overall scored application.
The two Northwest Region grow permits were issued to Calypso Enterprises of Erie and FarmaceuticalRx of Farrell.
Grow facility applicants were scored on more than 20 categories, with a maximum available score of 1,000 points.
Calypso scored 792 out of 1,000, and FarmaceuticalRx scored 765 out of 1,000.
Sunset Hill Medical LLC which earlier this summer announced its plans for a grow facility in the newly developed Glassworks park scored 647 out of 1,000.
Another company, Greensburg-based Newcine, also listed as a Clarion County applicant, scored 669.5 out of 1,000.
In all, 15 companies applied for a grow facility permit in the Northwest Region.
Scorecards for the companies ran from Calypso’s 792 to a score of 484 for Paragon Med Farm in New Castle.
Nate Wardle, a spokesman for the Department Of Health’s medical marijuana program, said, “Sunset Hills Medical applied in both Clarion and Butler counties, in separate regions. It was not awarded a permit in either location.”
Wardle said Sunset Hills is an applicant for a dispensary permit. Those permits will not be issued until closer to the end of the year.
Sunset Hills earlier this summer announced it had purchased the former “Clarion Clipper” building in anticipation of securing a dispensary permit.
GlassWorks disappointed but moving ahead
Theron Miles, a partner of Miles Brothers, said his company is disappointed in the outcome for Sunset Hills, but he added the proposed grow facility was only one piece of the plan for the GlassWorks park.
“I think it was a good opportunity for the community,” Miles said of the grow facility and the employment it would offer.
“But GlassWorks is a business park and it wasn’t just going to be Sunset Hills,” continued Miles. “We have a lot of leads as far as other business opportunities we would like to see locate with us.
“We looking forward to working with other businesses and opportunities.”
Clarion Borough Council president Carol Lapinto said she is disappointed in the decision not to grant Sunset Hills a permit.
“(Sunset Hills) seemed very confident in their ability to land a permit,” said Lapinto. “The (grow facility) looked like it would provide quite a number of good jobs. It’s disappointing.”