The prospect of a cannabis cultivation and infusion operation near the Springerville airport which is being developed by a company called White Mountains Flower, L.L.C. took another turn last week when t he Town of Springerville ordered WMF to “cease and desist” building structures until the company gets the permits required by town codes. The operation has run into roadblocks seemingly at every turn.
The Town of Springerville has leased land it owns near its airport to a company called White Mountains Flower, L.L.C. (WMF) which has begun construction of a number of greenhouses to grow cannabis to be sold to wholesale suppliers. The town accomplished that by approving a lease and development agreement with WMF, and changed zoning ordinances to accommodate the facility. The town hopes to create new jobs and add replacement jobs expected to be lost with the pending closure of two units of a nearby power plant.
Pushback by residents
The move to accommodate the grow operation has provoked fierce pushback from some residents whose objections run the gamut. They complain about the road going to the farm not being adequate, that the workers are being mistreated by the company, that the farm will use too much water, that there were not enough environmental studies done, that the town violated open meetings laws and conflict of interest laws, (a town councillor took a job as the WMF’s general manager) that the town-owned parcel of property at issue is not even in the town but in the county, that town leaders tried to hide official town meetings, had poor COVID protocols during town meetings, and finally that the fact that the town manager isn’t there anymore is just another sign of scandal.
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