Documents show that El Jardin Infantil Learning Center, the Hudson Avenue daycare owned by West New York board of Education trustee Lorena Portillo, was shut down late last year due to various fire violations never being repaired.Â
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In a notice from the West New York Bureau of Fire Safety sent to el Jardin Infantil Daycare and Learning Center on November 25, the premises had to be vacated by the next day due to “violations of the uniform fire code,†“which constitute an imminent hazard to public health, safety or welfare.â€
The next page details six violations at the daycare including no fire alarm system test being performed, no emergency lighting being maintained or tested, no fire extinguishers installed or maintained throughout the daycare, no fire safety evacuation plan prepared, and no proper rear exit established in case of emergency.
A November 25 police report further confirms that the day care was shut down as a result of the numerous fire safety violations.
Sources, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, told Hudson County View it was highly unlikely the establishment would be re-opening and a visit to the facility around 2 p.m. this afternoon showed the lights were still off and no one was inside.
The phone number listed for the Hudson County Construction Board of Appeals was a non-working number, so Hudson County View could not immediately establish if Portillo had filed an appeal on the matter.
Furthermore, Portillo did not return an email seeking comment.
Hudson County View was the only media outlet to report the daycare’s initial closure back on December 1.
Who owned / operated this Learning Center, when was approved for operations, who inspected it prior to the issuance of permits, who approved the permits, when the violations were noted, who was responsible for ensuring that it was in compliance, who owns the property and what kind of penalty will be issued.
[…] Meanwhile, Portillo was appointed by the board on October 8, 2014 and has generally kept a low profile since then, though faced some scrutiny when her daycare – El Jardin Infantil Learning Center on 6029 Hudson Ave. – was shut down for a multitude of unresolved fire violations. […]