HomeMy WebLinkAboutLETTER Commercial Remodel 184 E Elkhorn Ave 2020-03-19
LARIMER COUNTY | HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
1601 Brodie Avenue, Estes Park, Colorado 80517, 970.577.2050, Larimer.org/health
March 19, 2020
Jan Theriot
dba Old Fashion Candy & General Store
184 E. Elkhorn Ave.
Estes Park, Colorado 80517
Dear Ms. Theriot,
The plans and specifications submitted for the construction of Old Fashion Candy
& General Store to be located at 184 E. Elkhorn Ave. in Estes Park, Colorado, have
been reviewed by this department. The following items are specific to the submitted
plans and must be completed in order to maintain compliance with the Colorado Retail
Food Establishment Rules and Regulations. The plans are approved at this time.
PLEASE NOTE: This letter contains important information and advisements for the
construction of the establishment. Establishment owners are responsible for items noted
in this letter. Please share this letter with all involved parties, including the construction
superintendent and contractors at the construction site. If there are any questions
regarding information in this letter or anything else related to the construction and
operation of the establishment, please contact me at (970) 577-2051 or
dmenzies@larimer.org.
Menu and Food Handling:
1. A menu was provided as part of the plan review submission. The menu will
include prepacked candy, bulk dispensed candy and ice coffee. The menu does
not include foods requiring time/temperature control for safety.
2. Please review Larimer County Department of Health and Environment’s food
safety resource page which includes valuable information to assist with safe food
service practices including temperature logs, date marking guidance, a list of
accredited food safety managers courses, a sick employee policy, and several
additional resources. https://www.larimer.org/health/safety-sanitation-
programs/food-safety-program
3. Written food handling procedures for the operation were not submitted, but
food handling procedures were outlined in the plan review application. To
promote active managerial control for safe food handling, written
procedures should be created and employees should be properly trained
on written procedures. Staff should also be regularly monitored to ensure
the proper procedures are being practiced. Please incorporate the
following:
a. Please be advised, The Colorado Department of Health & Environment
has adopted the 2013 FDA Food Code as part of the Colorado Retail
Food Establishment Rules and Regulations. A requirement under the
Rules and Regulations is that food employees and conditional employees
are informed in a verifiable manner of their responsibility to report
information about their health as it relates to diseases that are
transmissible through food. It is required that documentation is available
upon request verifying that food employees and conditional employees are
informed of their responsibility to report illness to management. For a
printable illness policy template that meets these requirements, please
visit: https://www.larimer.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2017/lcdhe-
employee-illness-policy-contract.pdf
b. An employee must be excluded from work if the food employee is
symptomatic with vomiting or diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever,
except when the symptom is from a noninfectious condition (examples:
allergic reaction/intolerance). The employee cannot return until they are
symptom free for a minimum of 24 hours, but 48 to 72 hours is
recommended.
c. Employees diagnosed with a Health Department reportable illness such as
Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus, Shigella spp., Enterohemorrhagic or Shiga
Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi; or other enteric
bacterial pathogen such as Salmonella or Campylobacter, must be
excluded from work.
d. A physician’s approval and the health department’s approval are required
before an employee can return to work if diagnosed with any of the
infections listed above.
e. Keep records to identify employee schedules to monitor scheduled hours,
sick leave and shift changes.
f. Procedures for employees to follow when responding to vomiting or
diarrheal events within the establishment must be developed. For a
printable guidance document regarding Clean-up Procedures for
Vomit/Fecal Events, please visit:
https://www.larimer.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2017/lcdhe -vomit-
diarrheal-guidance.pdf
g. Please be advised, employees must be excluded from working with food,
beverages and clean equipment when wounds are expressing fluids and
not able to be contained. Wounds and cuts on fingers, hands or wrists,
must be properly covered with a double barrier, such as a cut covered with
a band aid then covered with a finger cot or glove.
h. Please be advised, barehand contact with ready-to-eat foods is prohibited.
Gloves are required when utensils and other barriers cannot be used
when handling or preparing ready-to-eat foods that will not be further
cooked. Employees are required to wash hands prior to applying gloves.
Equipment, Cleaning, and Accessibility:
4. All food service equipment must be designed for its intended use and should be
certified or classified for sanitation by an American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) accredited certification program, such as NSF, ETL Sanitation, UL
Sanitation, or BISSC Certified.
5. Custom made and used equipment cannot be approved until it is visually
inspected. This also includes cabinetry and other millwork.
6. Heavy counter mounted equipment which cannot be easily moved for cleaning
must be installed on four inch sanitary legs or neatly sealed to counters to
facilitate cleaning.
7. Please be advised pallets, dunnage racks, shelves and other floor racking
systems, must be installed in a manner that will not inhibit or prevent easy
cleaning of floors and surrounding surfaces. Storage shelves located in all food
preparation areas, storage areas and walk-ins must be situated at least six
inches off the floor.
8. Hard to clean spaces or gaps around equipment, counters, utilities and plumbing
must be eliminated to provide for easy cleaning. All equipment, cabinets or
counters that are not mounted on casters or are not easily moveable (curb
mounted or legs) must be:
a. Neatly sealed to adjoining walls, equipment, cabinets or counters; or,
b. Spaced in accordance with Section 4-402.11 of the Rules and Regulations
so the surfaces of the floors, walls and exterior surfaces of equipment and
cabinets can be easily cleaned; or
c. Neatly sealed to adjoining walls, equipment, cabinets or counters.
9. Stationary equipment must be neatly sealed in place to the floors, walls and
surrounding equipment.
Ventilation:
10. This operation is not approved for any type of cooking.
11. Restrooms must be provided with mechanical exhaust ventilation to the o utside.
Plumbing:
12. Please be advised the 3-compartment warewashing sink basins must be large
enough to accommodate all equipment used in food preparation and storage . A
small 4 compartment sink has been proposed. Since the iced coffee machine is a
clean-in-place equipment, the small sink basins of the 4 compartment sink are
adequate in size for washing the scoops used for bulk dispensing candy.
13. Warewashing drain boards must be self-draining and directed to warewashing
sink basins, pre-rinse sinks, scuppers or warewashing machines. Two 18”
drainboards have been proposed for the 4 compartment sink and are approved.
a. It is recommended that a wall mounted wire rack be installed above the 3-
compartment sink that is as long as the length of the sink to accommodate
air drying and storage of cleaned equipment.
14. Hand washing sinks must be easily accessible in all areas where food is
prepared, served or where utensils and equipment are washed. The proposed
hand washing sink locations are approved and include a hand washing sink in
the restroom and a 4 compartment sink with 1 basin dedicated to hand washing
located at the front service counter.
a. All hand washing sinks must be provided with hot and cold running water
under pressure through a mixing valve, single service hand towels from a
dispenser and hand soap.
b. The height of the hand washing sink must be between 30 inches and 48
inches above the floor.
c. The sink’s basin must be a minimum of 10 inches in any direction. 9
inches by 9 inches hand sink basins are not approved.
d. When installed in a countertop, the hand sink basin must be within 24
inches of the front of the counter.
e. The space between the flood rim of the hand sink and the base or
underside of any cabinet located above the sink must be at least 24
inches.
f. Hand sink faucets must be installed on the side of the sink basin directly
opposite the user.
g. A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands
will need to be displayed at all hand washing sinks.
15. A mop sink for the disposal of mop water and for the purpose of filling mop
buckets and cleaning mops has been proposed.
a. The mop sink must be provided with hot and cold running water.
b. Mop and broom hangers must be provided at the mop sink to
properly hang and air dry mops.
c. Storage shelves should also be provided to properly store cleaning
supplies.
16. The proposed water heating system, Rheem model PROE47 52 RH95, with 21
gallons/hour recovery rate at 80°F rise is approved. The water heating system
must have a minimum recovery rate of 19 gallons/hour at 80°F rise.
17. Please be advised, the water heater is required to be installed on a six inch
leg kit if the heater is installed on the floor. A minimum of six inches of
clearance must be provided between the walls and the water heater to
facility cleaning around the water heater.
18. Please be advised, all drains from equipment such as ware washing sinks
and water heaters must be properly air gapped.
19. Please be advised approved, properly installed, backflow devices must be
provided on all submerged inlets. Backflow devices on water lines subject to
back pressure or continuous pressure must be equipped with backflow
preventers that are designed for continuous pressure.
20. Exposed water pipes, sewer lines, gas lines or electrical conduit running along
the surface of the walls, ceiling or floors are not approved .
a. All drain lines, water lines, gas lines and electrical conduit running along
the walls in finished rooms must be boxed in or completely conce aled
along the wall to facilitate easy cleaning.
b. The above also applies for bars, service stations and expo areas . All utility
lines must be installed behind cabinetry or within the framed wall; or a
durable sheath created to run utility lines behind equipment.
c. External floor or wall mounted Uni-strut or hard to clean brackets are not
approved to support utility and drain lines.
d. Sewer lines, waste water lines and roof drains can not be located above
stored foods, single use items, utensils and equipment in warehouse
areas unless guttered or protected.
Structure, Finishes, General:
21. Adequate lighting must be provided where food is processed or stored, where
equipment and utensils are cleansed, as well as in the restrooms.
22. Please be advised foods must be adequately protected from customer
contamination, such as coughing, sneezing and handling.
23. To help prevent insect and rodent entry into the building all outer openings
including doors and windows must be kept closed or permanent screens or air
curtains must be installed on outer openings that will be left open periodically .
a. Weather stripping, threshold and/or broom sweeps must be installed on all
outside doors to eliminate gaps to the outside.
b. All exit and restroom doors must be fitted with self-closures.
24. Please be advised floors, walls, ceilings, counter tops, storage shelves, cabinets
and all work surfaces, located within food preparation areas, storage areas,
restrooms, serving areas, and ware washing areas must be of an approved
material that is smooth, durable, non-absorbent and easily cleanable.
a. Sealed wood flooring and sealed wood wall finishes have been
proposed. Please be advised the wood surface must be smooth and
without groves to be approved.
b. All floor/wall junctures and stationary equipment floor junctures in the
above listed areas must be provided with approved concave coving.
25. The outside trash and recycling areas must be located on a cleanable surface of
concrete or machine laid asphalt. Submit information as to how this area is to be
constructed.
26. Please be advised, in order to protect wildlife from intrusion onto the grounds of
the establishments, all refuse, oil and grease must be deposited of in a Wildlife
Resistant Container or Wildlife Resistant Enclosure.
a. Wildlife Resistant containers must meet the standards of testing by the
Living with Wildlife Foundation and have a “passing” rating by the
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) as bear resistant for 60
minutes.
b. Wildlife Resistant Enclosures means an enclosed structure consisting of
four sides, a roof, and a secure door or cover, which shall have a latching
device of sufficient design and strength to prevent access by wildlife.
27. Toxic materials and surplus cleaning supplies must be stored below or away from
food preparation areas, food, utensil and single service item storage areas and
ware washing facilities.
28. Provide an approved area for adequate storage of employee’s personal items,
such as coats, clothing, backpacks and handbags, that is separate from food and
clean equipment.
29. The following items are required where food handling and warewashing occur in
the establishment:
a. food product thermometers scaled 0 to 220°F, digital thermometers or
thermocouple
b. food handlers’ gloves and finger cots
c. approved sanitizer
d. test strips for the sanitizer
Please review all items, with emphasis on items #3, 14, 15, 17, and 18. Items
requiring information can be submitted either in written form or as an addendum to the
plans submitted. The written plans are approved at this time.
In addition to the $100 plan review application fee paid at the time the plans were
submitted for review, a review fee is assessed for the actual review time . The review fee
is assessed at a rate of $85 per hour. The final review cost for this project is $170.
Please be advised, before the department can give any approval for operation all plan
review fees must be paid. The plan review billing invoice for this project is attached to
the hard copy of the final approval letter.
Be advised approval of plans, including the above modifications outlined in this
plan review letter, does not constitute acceptance of the completed structures.
Construction checks are a critical and are considered a continuation of the plan review
process. At least one construction check is required for all establishments undergoing
plan review and will be charged at $85.00 per hour. Additional construction checks may
be required based on request or establishment need.
Please feel free to contact this department if questions arise, or if I can be of
further service at (970) 577-2051 or at dmenzies@larimer.org.
Sincerely,
David Menzies, REHS
Sr. Environmental Health Specialist
cc: Town of Estes Park Division of Building Safety via electronic mail