ATHOL — Details of a host community agreement between Athol and Hometown Harvest, LLC, were finalized by the Selectboard on Dec. 17.

Hometown Harvest is a retail marijuana establishment with plans to set up shop at 243 Main St., once occupied by Elev8 Cannabis.

Elev8’s operations ceased in March 2023 when the state’s Cannabis Control Commission suspended Elev8’s license, citing 10 violations of regulations, including staff lacking required training. The CCC also said the business presented an “immediate or serious threat to public health, safety or welfare.” The Selectboard suspended the host community agreements with Elev8 owner Olawaseun Adedeji last October.

Attorney Nicholas Obolensky, a partner in Hometown Harvest, told the Selectboard he had been working with Town Manager Shaun Suhoski and Town Counsel John Barrett “to craft a host community agreement that is acceptable to the town.”

“We hope to open as soon as possible at the location that was formerly Elev8,” Obolensky said. “We hope to be a far better partner to the town than the prior occupant of that location. I’m not going to get into the weeds regarding what happened in the past, but suffice it to say that we’re looking to operate an above-board, good, positive establishment that will be a local cannabis store for you all.”

While Obolensky and Hometown’s other partners — Sam and Annabelle Eaton, Loren Eaton-Forbes and Michael Grasso — live in several communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Obolensky told the board, “All of our prospective employees at this point are either from Athol or Orange at the moment.”

Obolensky said Hometown would create eight to 10 new jobs for the region.

Board member Andy Sujdak made a motion to approve the host community agreements with Hometown, seconded by Kala Fisher. The Selectboard vote to approve the agreement was unanimous.

Town Counsel Barrett said that he had reviewed the document and made some suggestions, which Obolensky agreed to, and that it should be in line with the state Cannabis Control Commission.

Barrett said the host community agreement includes provisions that he believes “are good for the town.”

At a Dec. 4 public hearing before the Board of Planning and Community Development, Grasso said he and several others in attendance had been employed at Orange Cannabis Company. The cannabis retailer opened in July 2020 as Silver Therapeutics, but the business was sold in April 2022 and renamed Orange Cannabis Company. Company officials said in July of this year that the retailer would be closing its doors due to “declining revenues.”

The BPCD ultimately voted unanimously to grant a special permit to Hometown Harvest to open up shop at the former Elev8 location.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.