Construction on Shell Lake Township facility to begin in late May or early June

By Robert Wiliams

Editor

The Becker County Board of Commissioners granted the request of rural Waubun residents Tim Rohloff and Rose Diemert for a conditional use permit for the cultivation, manufacture and wholesale of cannabis at the latest board meeting Tuesday, March 4, in Detroit Lakes.

The exact description of the conditional use permit approved by the Planning Commission was “Commercial use of property for state-licensed indoor Cannabis Cultivation facility.” 

Rohloff, co-owner of Fire Cannabis LLC, was present to discuss the issue with commissioners giving a highlight of the business plan.

The facility will include a completely closed, secured, indoor cultivation facility. Plan are to have a newly-constructed onsite well and septic system on the 40-acre property zoned agricultural. The initial facility is planned to be 5,000-square feet, and the license that the duo are applying for will allow up to 15,000 square feet of cultivation space. Hopes are to begin construction on the well and septic in late May or early June.

“We would have plans to expand the footprint of that facility,” said Rohloff.

The single building will have security around the perimeter and a secure means of disposal in the form of composting the cannabis operations products by organic means.

Other options are like disposing of tree limbs, mulching, and landscape use, or pellets for stoves. 

Forthcoming state regulations have yet to be released to help guide early growers on means of disposal for growing byproducts. Rohloff said they plan to store onsite until there is a definite way to sell, recycle or dispose of the product, or spread across the property and mixed with the topsoil.

“Our preferred method is to make it a sellable product,” he said.

Commissioner Barry Nelson admitted that the board is still learning about the market.

“I don’t understand some of the things of it,” he said.

Neighbors of the property expressed security concerns to the planning commission.

Rohloff stated his strong preference is to have the property fenced, but that again is subject to state regulations and fence requirements have yet to be finalized.

“I have a strong preference for a physical barrier of some kind, maybe multiple,” Rohloff said.

A newly-constructed cell tower that was installed near the property and buried Arvig fiber optic cable nearby will allow for 24-hour security and WiFi.

“For redundancy, we may add a third, something along the lines of Starlink, so there’s even a tertiary backup for network connectivity and resilience,” Rohloff said.

There will be no signage, and lighting and sightlines will be limited to not try to bring attention to the building.

The board discussed the lack of communication from the state and the incomplete nature of regulations regarding cannabis.

“We’re just here to dictate the land use,” Commissioner Erica Jepson said. “It is what it is. The state regulates everything else.”

The hydroponic grow setup will utilize coco coir fiber (coconut hair) as a cultivation material. Water purification systems will be computer controlled with nutrients.

“It’s precisely dosed on the main line so that there’s no runoff to waste,” said Rohloff. “It’s extremely efficient and there is no harmful runoff in terms of phosphates, nitrates, things like that.”

Rohloff admitted this a novel use case in the county and offered to partner and help everybody better understand the nuances and challenges of the industry, including where they can help develop a well-regulated industry for the county. He also discussed benefits from tax revenues and agriculture jobs to innovation and utilizing AI technologies they are developing in-house.

Planning & Zoning Administrator Kyle Vareberg discussed plans to have the facility staffed 24-hours per day, seven days a week for added security.

The conditional use permit was approved 4-1, with Commissioner Hansen casting the dissenting vote.