On Thursday the stores’ sign had a sign indicating to residents that the building is unsafe to occupy.

The violation, and closure, was issued by Paul Capitano, Falconer code enforcement officer, who said a complaint was received nearly two weeks prior to the closure from a concerned resident who said the store has a host of problems with the roof, leading to multiple leaks forming throughout the building.

Capitano visited the store and saw the leaks himself, noting the leaks extended throughout the entirety of the store. Capitano stated that this could indicate large levels of mold throughout the building, as well as having noted the risk of the falling ceiling tiles throughout the store. The water is also leaking onto all of the coolers in the store, both in the middle and rear, according to Capitano. These conditions not only present a hazard to those that shop at the store, but also to those that must stay in the building for a shift.

“It just gets to be like a health hazard and a fire code problem,” Capitano said. “Plus, you know, employees shouldn’t have to go in there and put totes out, and change water buckets, and everything else.”

The sign on the front door, indicating that the store is unsafe to operate at this time.

Capitano said that upon an initial warning the store put in a ticket for repair, though store officials told Capitano that the contractor said that somebody else would have to come out before deleting the ticket. Upon reviewing the history of the location, Capitano realized that this problem was not just a recent revelation, but that violation letters can be found going as far back as 2020. Because of the long history of violations, and the severity of the problem currently, Capitano found it to be in the best interest of public safety to force the location to make the repairs before being allowed to serve anybody else.

“I already talked to the regional manager about it and said that anything that goes on from here on, you’ll have to contact me to let me know,” said Capitano. “She said she would. So I’m just waiting on a phone call to see what they say.”

In order to reopen the location, the staff must have a new contractor come in and make the necessary repairs. After this, the business must supply Capitano with the repair ticket and have the building reinspected for approval. Once these steps are complete the store will be permitted to open its doors once again.