Sentinel & Enterprise

Cannabis cultivatio­n mill site seen boosting city

Facility operates in renovated and repurposed building

- My Oaniel Monahan dmonahan@sentinelan­denterpris­e.com

U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and other officials on Wednesday took a tour of Revolution­ary Clinics’ cultivatio­n facility and discussed how the cannabis industry will positively impact the economic developmen­t of the city.

Revolution­ary Clinics, at 1 Oak Hill Road, was once a shoe factory that supplied brands like Brooks Brothers, Cole Haan, L.L. Bean and Harley-Davidson among other popular footwear.

After being closed for many years, Revolution­ary Clinics repurposed the facility for medical cannabis cultivatio­n in the city in 2017.

It expanded to recreation­al cultivatio­n last year and employs 120 people.

“The thing we want to see is these mill buildings be revitalize­d, contribute to the economic developmen­t and the tax base of the city — and that’s basically what you’ve achieved here,” Trahan said.

Co-founder of Revolution­ary Clinics Ryan Ansin, who attended elementary school in Fitchburg, said he was happy to return to the city and to play a role in its economic developmen­t.

Ansin said his family purchased the mill building in 1952, adding that he was able to succeed in part because of the city’s approach to the cannabis industry.

Mayor Stephen DiNatale said Ansin was continuing the legacy of his family, who created countless jobs in the city years ago.

DiNatale said Fitchburg has welcomed the cannabis industry into the city because of the potential for growth in a number of areas.

“We had a number of buildings that were unoccupied, off the tax rolls, and this is an opportunit­y not just to bring an industry in that’s going to create revenue … but also, even more importantl­y, hire people,” said DiNatale. “Put people to work in Fitchburg but also regionally.”

According to DiNatale, there are only a handful of empty mill buildings left in the city, which is a sign of recent success.

“There is a certain satisfacti­on that you

when you see the restoratio­n of a mill building that was so vital in terms of the economy 100 years ago, 50 years ago,” added Trahan.

The cultivatio­n site encompasse­s about 250,000 square feet, one official said, with about 140,000 square feet devoted to growing and product manufactur­ing so far.

In addition to providing jobs, Revolution­ary Clinics has had a significan­t economic impact on the Fitchburg community, officials said.

In the past three years, it has paid more than $700,000 in tax revenue and continues to annually give $25,000 in charitable contributi­ons to communiget ty partners.

Cannabis Control Commission­er Jennifer Flanagan said she was impressed with the facility and that Revolution­ary Clinics appears to be abiding by all state guidelines.

“It’s good to see the reuse of buildings that were long ago vibrant and full of workers,” said Flanagan, a former state senator from Leominster for many years before joining the CCC.

 ?? JOHN LOVE / SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE ?? Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale chats with Dustin Aldrich-Hunt in the extraction room at Revolution­ary Clinics — a marijuana cultivatio­n center in a repurposed mill building — about his work during a tour of the facility Wednesday.
JOHN LOVE / SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale chats with Dustin Aldrich-Hunt in the extraction room at Revolution­ary Clinics — a marijuana cultivatio­n center in a repurposed mill building — about his work during a tour of the facility Wednesday.
 ?? JOHN LOVE / SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE ?? U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan speaks with Revolution­ary Clinics co-founder Ryan Ansin after the tour of the facility.
JOHN LOVE / SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan speaks with Revolution­ary Clinics co-founder Ryan Ansin after the tour of the facility.

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