A ribbon cutting more than four years in the making takes place Friday, Feb. 14, at noon.

That’s when a Manteca Chamber of Commerce ceremony officially kicking off the grand opening for Off the Charts — Manteca’s first storefront cannabis dispensary — will take place at 2325 W. Yosemite Avenue.

It is one of three such businesses the City Council has awarded permits to open. The process Manteca’s leaders engaged in to set the state for legal cannabis sales in the city limits was started 51 months ago.

Off the Charts has been open for several weeks.

It’s opening was marred by a hiccup of sorts after the city received complaints about the green cross (similar to the Red Cross logo) that is part of their signature logo design.

The green cross — which is low key and has other meanings which is why medical marijuana dispensaries initially adopted them —  has become associated with cannabis but not in a blatant manner.

The concern was that it ran afoul of the City Council’s promise not to allow signage that “screamed” cannabis sales or names that could possibly mislead people such as the Cookies cannabis store in Modesto.

Whether it was to that level or not, the decision was made by City Manager Toni Lundgren that of did. Off the Charts agreed to comply.

The “A” frames with the green cross disappeared almost instantly after they were notified of the decision.

The green crosses incorporated in the building signage have now been removed as well just in time for the grand opening.

The result was an even more “professional looking store front with clean lines.

The loss of the green crosses doesn’t impact one iota the ability to find the store.

Unlike the competition when it opens, Off the Charts isn’t tucked behind other buildings. Its location west of Airport Way can be seen clearly as you drive down Yosemite Avenue.

The other two dispensaries that are yet to open are being prepped on South Main Street behind Dairy Queen and in West Yosemite Avenue in the former Golden Bear Physical Therapy locating behind Valley Oak Dental.

The three store openings will be felt by the general Manteca community even if they don’t use cannabis.

That’s because the three concerns, based on community benefit agreements (CBA), will likely end up sending in excess of $2 million annually into municipal coffers to support general fund services as well as donations to Manteca-based nonprofits.

The CBA the city inked with Off the Charts will send 9 percent of the gross annual recruits to the general fund.

There is a minimum, though. The city is guaranteed to receive $600,000 a year regardless.

Off the Charts will donate 1 percent of its gross receipts to community nonprofits.

That means if Off the Charts does $10 million worth of business in a given year, $900,000 of that would go to the city and $100,000 to nonprofits.

In terms of what the city will receive, Off the Charts appears to be the most generous.

Embarc going in a small center on South Main Street across from Walmart and Denny’s agreed to 6 percent of its gross going to the city’s fund and 1 percent to community groups.

Nectar Markets of California locating in the former Golden Bear Physical Therapy space in the 1500 block of West Yosemite behind Valley Oak Dental committed to 5 percent of its gross to the city and 1 percent to nonprofits.

Nectar Market added the condition that community contributions would be a minimum of $250,000.

Keep in mind that until sales have taken place for a year there are no solid figures for the city or non-profits in general.

But assuming each concern does $10 million worth of business in Manteca a year and minimum guarantees, the city could see $2 million and community based non-profits $350,000.

To put that in perspective, $2 million is 2.7 percent of this fiscal year’s general fund revenue projection of $72.9 million.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com