With the news coming earlier this week that a failed potato company is set to turn into a marijuana growing facility in his own backyard, the Mayor of Lucky Lake says that he's receiving mixed opinions.

Only a couple days ago, Vancouver-based company United Greeneries announced that it plans to renovate an old potato storing plant into a marijuana growing facility.

The company purchased the building in 2014 and is in the last stages of getting approval from the federal government and could have it opened by fall. They expect the facility will be operational by the end of 2018.

Blake Trumbley, Lucky Lake Mayor, explained some of the mixed opinions he's received.

"There's one camp here that would say they don't want those unsavoury characters coming to work here just because there are jobs," he said. "Versus, some locals that are living off of farming income or spouses that can find employment when the other is working, there will be opportunities for them, and that's positive. These little communities have trouble sustaining themselves with the schools, rinks, hospitals, that sort of thing; it's a positive thing when there's an influx of people."

Trumbley said the village has been anticipating this for a while now.

"It's not news at all; the facility changed hands three years ago," he said. "At that time it was known that one of these outfits had in mind to get themselves up to speed and grow medicinal marijuana."

Trumbley said the biggest, and most obvious, benefit of having the facility open is the jobs it will create

"Even the renovation and construction phase will bring in lots of contractor employment and then going forward, of course, I don't know how labour intensive that kind of horticulture is, but I'm suspecting there will be numerous employment opportunity," he said. "Either locally or bringing someone in with a science or horticulture background."

However, a few residents are concerned that the business will attract the 'wrong type of crowd.' Trumbley said it would be similar to the large potato facilities in the 90's or pork barns that spring up,

"Those businesses, which are good for the community regarding providing employment, also attract transitory employment. Some of those characters you don't want in your community, they just follow the jobs and don't add too much to the community."

The facility is located in the RM of Canaan No. 225, a few kilometres North of the Village of Lucky Lake. It was used by Spudco to store potatoes in the 1990's.