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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20182441.tiffRESOLUTION RE: ACTION OF THE BOARD CONCERNING SUSPENSION OF COLORADO RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT LICENSE - TAQUERIA LA SIERRA WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and WHEREAS, Taqueria La Sierra, located at 720 Denver Avenue, Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621, is allegedly in violation of the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations, and WHEREAS, on June 11, 2018, the Board of County Commissioners moved to issue a suspension of the license, and ordered that the $250.00 civil penalty be held in abeyance to offset the cost of hiring and utilizing the services of a third -party consultant to provide formal food safety training to the entire facility staff, with follow-up inspections and with the understanding that Health staff may bring this matter back before the Board if repeat critical violations are observed or should the facility fail to remain in substantial compliance, and WHEREAS, on July 9, 2018, a public hearing was held before the Board of County Commissioners for the purpose of hearing testimony relating to said on -going violations at the facility licensed to Taqueria La Sierra, at which time the Board deemed it advisable to issue a 15 -day suspension of the Colorado Retail Food Establishment License issued to Taqueria La Sierra and continue said matter to July 30, 2018, and 1) hire a qualified manger to control for food safety, 2) a food safety consultant be contracted to perform an on -site inspection, 3) no cooling may occur at the facility until Health Department approval, 4) a professional pest control company is hired to control for pests noted during inspections, 5) food processes are limited until such time that the facility demonstrates substantial compliance with the regulations (example: cooking meat on the spit), 6) substantial compliance with the regulations is maintained during the next two regular inspections, and 7) the Health Department maintains ability to bring matter back to the Board if above conditions are not met, and WHEREAS, on July 30, 2018, after hearing testimony from all present concerning ongoing violations, the Board deems it advisable to revoke said license based on the violations documented by the Department of Public Health and Environment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that the Colorado Retail Food License issued to Taqueria La Sierra, located at 720 Denver Avenue, Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621, be, and hereby is, revoked. 0 4t4V&01, Cri+/13) 2018-2441 HL0050 RE: COLORADO RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT LICENSE - TAQUERIA LA SIERRA PAGE 2 The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted by the following vote on the 30th day of July, A.D., 2018. ATTEST: ditAtA) to:&k. Weld County Clerk to the Board BY: Deputy Clerk to the •J APPROVED AS TO FO Asst. County Attorney Date of signature: 48-o?g'fil BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WELD COUNTY, COLORADO Ste Moreno, Chair u ie A. Cozad (111RA9,--a1Z2-- Mike Freeman 2018-2441 H L0050 Memorandum TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Gabn Vergara DATE: July 30, 2018 SUBJECT: Taquena La Sierra Taquena La Sierra, located at 720 Denver Avenue in Fort Lupton, Colorado, and owned by Taquena La Sierra LLC, has failed to meet all the conditions set forth during the July 9, 2018 hearing before the Weld County Board of Commissioners The facility has had three visits by a pest control management company since our last inspection, and there is no evidence of roaches, at this time, as well there is no evidence that that they are cooling foods (since the facility reopened on July 25, 2018) The facility has also hired a qualified manager, but this individual is not able to start work until mid -August The facility, however, has failed to arrange for an inspection by a food safety consultant during normal operations An inspection by Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment (Department) inspection staff was conducted on July 26, 2018 (as allowed by statute, Taquena La Sierra re- opened on July 25, 2018), and significant improvement has been made since the last inspection on July 2, 2018 There were, however, still three critical violations (employee drink stored above single -service articles, improper cold holding, and improper ware washing) Given that the facility has yet to meet all conditions set forth by the BOCC at the June 11, 2018 and July 9, 2018 hearings, it is the Department's recommendation that the facility's retail food establishment license be revoked If the Board chooses to allow the facility to retain its license, we recommend the following conditions o Qualified manager is on board by August 15, 2018 ® A food safety consultant is hired to conduct an operational inspection within one week of Manager's start date (by August 22, 2018) • No cooling may occur at the facility until Department approval ® Continuation of pest control management, as needed a Food processes are limited until such time that the facility demonstrates substantial compliance with the regulations (example cooking meat on the spit) o Temperature logs for hot and cold holding are maintained a Obtain food safety training for any new employees that will have food handling responsibilities ® Substantial compliance with the regulations is maintained during the next regular inspection, which will be conducted by the Department no later than August 30, 2018 ® The Department maintains ability to bring this matter back to the board if the above conditions are not met 2018-2441 Memorandum TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Dan Joseph DATE: July 9, 2018 SUBJECT: Taqueria La Sierra Taquena La Sierra, located at 720 Denver Avenue in Fort Lupton, Colorado, and owned by Taquena La Sierra LLC, has failed to maintain compliance with conditions set forth during a hearing before the Weld County Board of Commissioners, on June 11, 2018 The facility has failed to maintain substantial compliance with the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations and has not had the consultant conduct an onsite inspection, following the onsite training In addition, since approving the facility to reopen on June 26, 2018, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment (Department) inspection staff has made two visits (one regular inspection and one check -in inspection) at which multiple critical violations were noted For these reasons, the Department recommends one of the following options 1. Revocation of the Retail Food Establishment License for Taquena La Sierra, or 2. A suspension of 3 days with the following conditions to reopen o A qualified manager be hired to control for food safety o A food safety consultant be contracted to perform an onsite inspection o No cooling may occur at the facility until Department approval o A professional pest control company is hired to control for pests noted during inspections o Food processes are limited until such time that the facility demonstrates substantial compliance with the regulations (example cooking meat on the spit) o Substantial compliance with the regulations is maintained during next two regular inspections o The Department maintains ability to bring matter back to the board if above conditions are not met 7/5/2018 Date: duly 9, 2018 Hearing with Board of County Commissioners Summary Since June 11, 2018 ► June 1 1 , 201 8 - Board votes to suspend retail food license with conditions recommended by the Health Department. June 1 1 , 201 8 - The Department traveled to establishment location to post closure sign and found facility in operation. Staff working onsite unaware that the facility has been closed. 1 7/5/2018 Summary of Conditions Set Contract with an approved food safety consultant to provide on onsite training for all staff and to conduct at least 1 inspection while food service operations are occurring. Have current management attend accredited class to become a certified food protection manager within two weeks of the hearing. Limitation of food service operations at the restaurant: no cooling of potentially hazardous foods until such time that the facility can demonstrate substantial compliance. Suspend the retail food license until such time that a consultant has been obtained and training held. Allowance for use of the two hundred fifty dollar ($250.00) civil penalty to defray costs of achieving compliance. Performance of two inspections by the Department following any license suspension with the objective being no repeat critical violations and substantial compliance with the Regulations, otherwise. That the health department have the option to again bring this matter before the Board should the facility be unable to gain substantial compliance with the Regulations. Summary Since June 11, 201 8 dune 1 1 , 2018 to June 26, 2018 - Department made multiple visits to ensure closure. dune 26, 201 8 - Consultant provides onsite training to all staff. Department agrees to opening as class for Certified Food Protection Manager had been scheduled (29th). 2 7/5/2018 Summary Since June 11, 201 8 • dune 28, 2018 - Department conducted check -in visit. The visit revealed a number of violations: Cooling of potentially hazardous foods (prohibited from being performed). Hand sinks inaccessible. Improper hot holding of potentially hazardous foods. Improper cold holding of potentially hazardous foods. Improper cooking of large portion of meat that would need to be cooled later. During the visit it was explicitly stated that no cooling of potentially hazardous foods may occur. Also discussed need to have consultant come back for an inspection while facility is in operation (ownership had not contacted consultant as ofjuly 2, 2018). June 28, 2018 Check -In Pans of food that had been cooled. Cooking of 30-40 lbs of meat. June 29, 2018- Department visited the facility and found that meat from the meat spit had been cooled. 7/5/2018 Summary Since June 1 1, 2018 July 2, 2018 - Department conducted regular inspection. Found multiple violations: Roaches present in facility. Improper cooling. Inadequate sanitizer. Not washing hands and changing gloves after handling raw food items. Unapproved bait traps in use. During inspection owner was questioned about class that was to be attended on June 29, 2018. Owner stated it was just a meeting to determine when to take the class. Improper cooling July 2, 201$ 4 7/5/2018 Improper pest control 7/5/2018 Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 25-4-161 1 If no imminent public health hazard is present, when three civil penalties have been assessed against a licensee or other person operating a retail food establishment in any 1 2 -month period, the Department may initiate proceedings to suspend or revoke the license of the licensee pursuant to section 25-4-1609. • Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 25-4-1609 Section 25-4-1609 allows the Department and the Board of County Commissioners, after an investigation and hearing at which the licensee is afforded an opportunity to be heard, and after delivery of the required notice of hearing, to suspend or revoke a retail food establishment's license. The maximum length of suspension is 1 month. 6 7/5/2018 Inspection History of Taqueria La Sierra Since March 201 7, three regular inspections and seven follow-up inspections have been performed during which 61 violations have been cited. Of the 61 violations cited, 55 were critical violations (90%). Of those critical violations, 28 were foodborne illness risk factor violations (51%). An average of 6.1 violations per inspection (regular and follow-up) have been cited at this facility. In the two inspections since re -opening (check -in and regular), the Department would have cited 10 critical and 4 non -critical violations. Average of 7 violations per inspection. Summary For these reasons, the Department recommends one of the following options: 1) Revocation of the Retail Food Establishment License for Taqueria La Sierra, or 2) A suspension of 3 days with the following conditions to reopen: A qualified manager be hired to control for food safety. A food safety consultant be contracted to perform an onsite inspection. No cooling may occur at the facility until Department approval. A professional pest control company is hired to control for pests noted during inspections. Food processes are limited until such time that the facility demonstrates substantial compliance with the regulations (example: cooking meat on the spit). Substantial compliance with the regulations is maintained during next two regular inspections. The Department maintains ability to bring matter back to the board if above conditions are not met. 7 Hello