After a heated discussion, the City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to grant the special permit needed by Prime Wellness Centers to open the city's first medical marijuana dispensary.

A vote on granting the special permit had to be held twice, after the initial 5-2 vote was deemed invalid due to the council needing a two-thirds majority to approve the permit request.

Ward 1 Councilor Gail Feckley, who had initially voted against the special permit, changed her mind during the second vote while at-large Councilor Claire Freda maintained her opposition to the permit request.

"I am not going to support a company that I do not feel comfortable with that you can't take back once you grant that special permit," Freda said, explaining that she was ready to start the application process over again. "Whether that's another arduous process or not, I can't change that."

During the following discussion the other members of the council reiterated their support of granting the permit and expressed their concerns with letting the process drag on further.

"To say now, at this juncture 'forget it' is really a slap in the face to people out there who could use this," said Ward 4 Councilor Mark Bodanza. "They might not have another eight months to figure out if we have a five star company or a 4 1/2-star company. This company passed muster."

Freda clarified at numerous points during the discussion that she was not opposed to the prospect of legalized medical marijuana, only that she was against granting a permit to Prime Wellness Centers.

"I'm not opposed to medical marijuana, it's here to stay and serves a purpose," she said. "I have reservations with this company and I have reservations with the way this was handled."

The city's police and fire chiefs, as well as the city's health and planning directors, were requested by the council to attend the meeting in case they had any remaining concerns regarding the proposed dispensary.

When asked if he had any issue with the security plan presented to him by Prime Wellness Centers, acting Police Chief Michael Goldman said he had no concerns and referred to the plan as "impressive to say the least."

"If every pharmacy in the city had a plan as strong as them, we'd be a lot better off," Goldman said. "They have way more security than a pharmacy that sells Oxycontin."

Health Director Christopher Knuth also had high praise to offer Prime Wellness Centers based on his discussions with them.

"I'm pretty satisfied. I talked to them months and months ago, and I feel they're the most qualified group to come to this city," he said.

The special permit was granted despite a community host agreement between the city and Prime Wellness Centers not yet being executed. The agreement, which serves as a list of ways the dispensary would devote portions of its revenue to local community services, is required by the city before issuing a special permit. However, the council voted to approve the permit under the condition that no building permit be granted until the community host agreement is acted upon.

"We are in full agreement, we are really more waiting for Kopelman & Paige to draft this document," Prime Wellness Centers spokesman Pat Scorzelli said. "We are just waiting for the city to present us with something to sign."

Mayor Dean Mazzarella said during the meeting that he did have a copy of the community host agreement with him and that it was ready to be signed.

No member of the public spoke against the dispensary during the public comment period. Local resident Alberta Johnson, who has spoken at multiple past council meetings, took the opportunity to address the council for what she said she hoped was the last time.

"I don't want to buy it off the street, I don't want to get high," said Johnson, who said she suffers from chronic pain.

Bodanza also said that Prime Wellness Centers still requires final approval from the state Department of Public Health before they can open their dispensary on Lock Drive. 

The council also unanimously voted Monday night to approve a moratorium on the sale and cultivation of recreational marijuana in Leominster.

"It's all based on the fact there is so much confusion on the state level, there's so much confusion on the federal level... .There's just a number of people who are affected by this and have no real understanding on the direction we're going in," said Freda, who submitted the petition for the moratorium. "I think we need to protect ourselves."

The moratorium, which Freda said would give the city enough time to determine issues like zoning for recreational marijuana dispensaries, will last until July 1, 2018.