Cheney Hydroponics underway

Cheney's first marijuana production and processing facility is now open for business.

Cheney Hydroponics co-owner Bill Youngs updated the City Council about the status of the growing and processing operation located in the city's Commerce and Industrial Park during the information portion of Tuesday's council meeting. Youngs thanked numerous city staff and council members for their assistance in helping the at one time controversial business get off the ground.

"Personally, I feel a responsibility to do this thing right," Youngs said.

Youngs told the council that they received their last license about three weeks ago as the result of a statewide process that demanded the completion of a lot of paperwork. The state Liquor Control Board oversight was very thorough, Youngs said, and the inspection process by such agencies as the Agriculture Department very in depth.

Youngs nephew, Owen Youngs, who is overseeing much of the grow operation, said they currently have 800 marijuana plants in the indoor facility, and have plans to eventually reach their full capacity of 5,400 plants. Owen Youngs said that while the business is called Cheney Hydroponics, the marijuana brand they will be producing would be under the Pure Joy Family Farms label.

"That's what you will see in stores," he added.

"But we don't have anything planted outside," Bill Youngs brother and co-owner, Chris, told the council, a joking reference to the fact that the extensive landscaping for the project has yet to be installed. Chris Youngs said that portion of the work should be in sometime over the next 30 days or so.

Chris Youngs said they currently have four full time positions filled. Those positions are the more specialized spots in the lab and other testing and development areas.

Both Chris and Owen Youngs said they expect to expand their work force to seven or eight positions through the hiring of part time employees. These employees will handle aspects of the operation that aren't as technical, but just as needed such as trimming, processing work in the kitchen and eventually helping with harvesting, which all three men expect to be a 24-hour operation.

Owen Youngs added that Cheney would be represented on the product, as the branding label they are finalizing has images of the city's "skyline," which includes recognizable structures such as the water tower and Eastern Washington University's Red Barn.

In the only action item, the council approved a five-year contract with EcliptixNet Broadband, Inc. of Medical Lake for installation of wireless equipment on the city's water tower located off Oakland Street just north of Eastern's Streeter and Morrison residence halls. EcliptixNet will pay the city $4,560 annually in monthly installments of $380, totaling $22,800 over the contract's term.

After five years the contract can be renewed for extended terms, with annual rent increasing by 15 percent per each extended term. The contract can be canceled for various default reasons, along with cancellation upon 12 months notice at the beginning of the second extended term.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].