WILTON — A nonprofit organization seeking the nod to become one of eight certified medical marijuana dispensaries in Maine said Monday that if the state approves its 100-page application, the business will open in Wilton.

Ahead Care had sought an alternative site at the former Rite Aid pharmacy on Wilton Road in Farmington but approval of that site by the Planning Board was delayed pending a July 12 public hearing that conflicted with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services June 25 deadline. The state will announce the permit recipients on July 9.

“We listed the Wilton site on our application. Even if we do get approved in Farmington, Wilton is our first choice,” said Michael Danforth, Ahead Care’s marketing and public relations director.

If there is an opportunity to open a second dispensary in the future, he said they would consider the Farmington site.

Ahead Care proposes to open in the vacant, two-story office building on Route 2, just over the Farmington-Wilton town line, between Agway and Dexter Supply. The property is owned by Kelly Dexter.

“It was designed as an office building. There is good access, plenty of parking and traffic is not a problem,” Danforth said.

And because it is new, fewer renovations are needed, he said.

Under the state’s new rules for a medical cannabis dispensary, one facility will be approved for each of eight public health service areas. The Wilton site is in the district that includes Franklin, Androscoggin and Oxford counties.

Danforth was unaware of any other applications proposed in Franklin County. But due to the competitiveness of the process, few developers are announcing their intentions prior to the deadline. “Everyone is being pretty tight-lipped,” he said.

Ahead Care will also submit an application to the state for a dispensary in Farmingdale in Kennebec County and one in Sanford in York County. A six-month moratorium on dispensaries is due to be lifted in July.

“Most every place we have been, people have been supportive. Once they learn what it is all about, they realize their fears are unfounded,” he said.

The larger population areas in Lewiston-Auburn, Bangor and Brewer have passed six-month moratoriums on cannabis dispensaries to give officials time to develop local ordinances.

Danforth said that could be in Ahead Care’s favor since in the Wilton application they are targeting a rural area that is a hub for patients living in central and western Maine.

Also involved in the venture are Lucas Sirois, who owns Western Maine Excavation and Electric in Farmington; his wife, Lisa, a veterinary technician; and Chad Crandall, who works with people with disabilities. All five are from the Farmington area.

Danforth said without a group of private investors such as they have lined up, startup costs for a state dispensary are prohibitive for a small business.

In addition to a $15,000 annual state registration fee that is to go toward overseeing the program and monitoring the dispensaries, Danforth said as much as $100,000 will be spent on renovations, including installing a commercial kitchen, a climate-controlled indoor greenhouse and a security surveillance system.

Sirois said they have already spent more than $12,000 on legal costs and preparing the paperwork needed to comply with the state regulations.

Under the referendum passed by voters last November, patients with chronic or debilitating conditions whose physicians recommend marijuana for pain relief could enroll in the state program. They would register at a single dispensary where they could purchase 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana every two weeks for a cost that will be set by each dispensary. There will also be a $100 yearly fee to the state.

Patients or their caregivers can grow and harvest up to six plants at home, and advisers at the dispensary will provide growing and dosage information.

Danforth said the Wilton operation will have between six and 10 employees who will work in the secure greenhouse and dispensary, the commercial kitchen and in the retail garden center, and as security guards. There will also be office space leased to health professionals.