Port supports medical marijuana facility

The Lorain Port Authority will support city efforts to land a grower and processor of medical marijuana.

Meanwhile, the Port staff and board said the recent Cabela’s National Team Championship walleye tournament and Rockin’ on the River have been successful this spring.

The Port board on June 13 voted to support the city of Lorain hoping to become a site for the growth and processing of medical marijuana in Lorain’s Colorado Industrial Park.

The Port was asked for a letter of support for the city, said Executive Director Tom Brown. That project could become an important development

for Lorain, he said.

Board member Barb Cook said she just could not vote for marijuana.

Board member Carl Nielsen said he would support the marijuana plan in hopes of boosting the economic benefit to Lorain’s local economy. Regardless of how people feel about legalizing marijuana, the economic argument for bringing jobs to Lorain is an argument that supporters will win, he said.

The Port board members were unanimous in their voice vote. Cook apparently abstained because she did not voice a nay vote during the board’s voice vote.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the Cabela’s walleye tournament “love Lorain,” Brown said.

“I will tell you that we ran a very successful national tournament,” he said. “I will tell you that Cabela’s and The Walleye Federation couldn’t have been happier.”

The fishing sessions June 8 to 10 were “organized chaos,” but with “hustle, hustle, hustle” by the entire Port staff and board to help as needed, Brown said.

The tournament scored more than 8,000 pounds of walleye in the first two days, Brown said.

The Port staff helped coordinate the anglers, the Lorain Growth Corp. Tourism Committee fish fry dinner on June 8, and the setup of Rockin’ on the River on June 9.

“Unbelievable job, you are to be commended,” Board member Jeff Zellers said. “It was phenomenal. It was really something. I’m very proud to be from Lorain and to be on the board.”

Board Chairman Brad Mullins said staff from NOPEC, the energy aggregator agency that is the name sponsor for Rockin’ on the River this year, was happy to see Lorain hosting an event of that kind. Other visitors were impressed with the number of people at Black River Landing and what the Lorain Port Authority can get done with a small number of people, he said.

The site could use more parking, said Cook, but Brown countered that parking is not yet a problem in Lorain, unlike Cleveland, where people can park and walk to events.

Four weeks into the Rockin’ on the River season, the season is going well, Brown said.

“Numbers have been up, in my opinion,” Brown said. “Bob’s been very happy. Great acts, great crowds, no issues other than the small little growing pains you get every year,” he said, referring to Rockin’ on the River founder Bob Earley.

In other business, Brown said the Port is nearing the end of the working life for the white canopy that sits over the stage at Black River Landing.

Brown proposed soliciting suggestions from architects for the stage top; those proposals would come to the board for review.

The board should consider something “more permanent” than vinyl, which costs thousands of dollars a year to put up and take down, Brown said. More information will come in the future, and Brown noted the stage footprint could grow to support a larger roof.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the Cabela’s walleye tournament “love Lorain,” Brown said.