Select Board Extends Cannabis Retailer Deadline to December 31 by Unanimous Vote

ASHBURNHAM — May 18, 2026 — Ashburnham Select Board unanimously extended the opening deadline for a proposed cannabis retail shop and flagged a gap in local tax-collection authority. The board voted 3-0 Monday to approve a first amendment to the host community agreement with Eddie's Flowers, Inc., pushing the operational deadline for the Ring Road marijuana retailer to December 31, 2026 after construction delays tied to three successive contractors. Representative Derek D'Ambrosio projected $2 million in first-year revenue and approximately $6 million by year three, citing commercial market analytics, though at least one board member called the figures "aggressive" and questioned the accuracy of web-scraped sales data. Town Administrator John Nicastro told the board that Ashburnham has not yet adopted Massachusetts General Law Chapter 64, Section 3, meaning the town cannot collect the three percent local cannabis sales tax until town meeting acts. The board also received word of $17,000 in new police grants — $10,000 for canine support and $7,000 for officer academy training — and logged $16,100 from the auction of four surplus DPW vehicles through the MuniBid platform.