Efforts are underway to clarify zoning requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries, says Mayor Carolyn McAd-ams.
McAdams told the Greenwood City Council on Tuesday that she has assigned Community Development Director Betty Stigler to prepare a city map that includes churches, day care centers and schools. Dispensaries must not be located within 1,000 feet of any such places. “It’s very complicated,” the mayor said.
She said the plan is for Stigler to have the map ready for the council’s review by its meeting on Aug. 2.
Greenwood opted out of allowing medical marijuana sales in order to provide time to understand the requirements of the new law.
If the city opts in, it would be for sales. “It can only be grown in the industrial park or in the county,” the mayor said.
McAdams has said she supports opting back in once the city has a better handle on what it needs to do to comply with the law.
In other business:
nDr. Jerryl Briggs, president of Mississippi Valley State University, and Jean Cadney, an alumna, gave the council an update on happenings at MVSU.
Briggs said he is “looking for a robust bounce-back for enrollment” for the upcoming year. He said the fall 2021 enrollment was up 1.3% over the previous year.
He said the university is working on renovations to the student union and has opened a Chick-fil-A restaurant, which has been “extremely popular.”
A major fundraising highlight was an anonymous donor giving $1.3 million to the university. Briggs said this was the largest donation from a single donor in the university’s history.
Briggs said he spoke to a representative of the donor, who communicated the donor’s strong impression of what the university was doing and where it was headed as a reason for the gift.
- McAdams said the city has received the second half of federal money from the American Rescue Plan, totaling $1.6 million.
She said the intention is to use this money for sewer line repairs.
- The council unanimously approved the reappointment of Minnie Roby as its clerk. Roby has served in that job since July 2021.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
