A West Virginia agency was warned three years ago that a Charleston food warehouse whose roof collapsed last month posed a safety threat.
A 2004 audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture advised state Department of Agriculture officials to build a new warehouse or lease a new facility with more storage space.
The July 12 collapse forced 11,000 cases of spoiled turkey, frozen pizza and mozzarella cheese valued at about $682,000 to be discarded. The food is used for county schools, child nutrition programs, food banks and soup kitchens around the state.
In 2004, federal inspectors found broken freezer doors and crumbling concrete walls and floors at the warehouse. The audit described the warehouse as “deteriorating” and in need of “total refurbishment.”
“The warehouse building poses a safety threat to both the state warehouse workers and the condition of our commodities,” the audit said.
Federal inspectors found additional problems at the warehouse last year, but the state continued to lease the warehouse from a St. Albans car dealer and paid him about $260,000 a year.
Landlord Jim Love fixed the problems cited in both inspections, said Jeanie Smith, director of the state Department of Agriculture’s food distribution program.
Federal inspectors visited the warehouse in early June but state officials didn’t receive the review until a week after the roof collapse. The review reiterated the warehouse’s repair needs.
State agriculture officials responded in a letter that they were looking at other warehouses to rent or would consider building a new facility.
Love’s insurance is covering the cost of repairing the warehouse, Smith said. The state is paying for the cleanup through the Board of Risk and Insurance Management, which also is expected to reimburse school systems for the lost food.
“Our main concern is to make sure that the schools are not left holding the bag,” Smith said.
Information from: The Charleston Gazette,
http://www.wvgazette.com
Topics Virginia Agribusiness West Virginia
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