Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:03:43 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Linda Cooper
Subject: Home Permit Issue
Hi Monnda:
Once upon a time I ran a home child day care center in Pittsboro. I loved the children, had great parents, life was good. But inspectors were the reason I closed.
The problem is too many inspectors have absolutely no common sense – and in some cases, they have absolutely no brains. But they have a inspections manual and the power to make your life Hell – and they thrive on that power. Feed on it.
For example – one environmental health inspector could not find anything to complain about. The center was clean – everything was in compliance. She actually told me she could not leave until she found something to complain about. So she stayed and stayed and stayed. Finally, she went to the kitchen and started taking all of the forks, spoons, etc., out of the drawer, one by one, looking at them to see how clean they were. She apparently believed she could see microscopic germs. I had to stand and watch her do this – and my temper was getting hotter and hotter. When she finally finished, I emptied the entire drawer into the dishwasher and turned it on. She was surprized and asked why? The utensils were clean! I said “not any more – after you handled them!!” So she happily wrote in her report that my utensils were dirty and finally left the center.
Now, not all inspectors were that stupid – but enough of them were. Like the one who wrote in her report that my bathroom was dirty because the children’s art work (water colors) were hanging on a rack in there (large bathroom, plenty of space) and some paint had dripped on the floor. Clue: a dirty bathroom is one that has pee on the floor – not water color paint from a child’s art creation! After a while, this stupidness got under my skin big time and I closed the center.
Anyway – I completely understand your experience!!! Port-a-potty!! Geez!! Hopefully it is all straightened out now and you will not have any more experiences.
Linda Allred Cooper
former Cooper Kids Day Care owner