By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
The Jetro Cash and Carry Wholesale Grocery, 1030 W. Division St., supplies both fresh produce and canned goods to many North Side restaurants and small grocery stores. Therefore, it was of concern to many when the Chicago Health Department ordered the warehouse to be closed down late last Friday.
A sign posted on the door by the City indicated that the reason for the forced closure was the presence of live birds. Those who have been doing business with Jetro were puzzled by this explanation, since the company sells, among thousands of other products, frozen chicken parts, frozen beef, pork, lamb and other meat products, as well as cheeses. But live birds? None of the customers who were assembled by Jetro's front door on Monday morning could understand the reason for the closure.
It turns out that the reason for the City's action was the discovery of bird droppings in the premises. The City returned to the company on Monday morning to re-inspect the 120,000 square foot building to make sure that all appropriate City regulations were being followed. Jetro is a national organization with similar warehouse facilities on both coasts and across the country. The closure caught the management by surprise and they spent the weekend trying to solve the problem.
As Jetro's customers waited on Monday, inspectors were in and out of the property looking very official. Most of the customers are small businesses whose needs are not great enough to enable them to purchase their supplies from manufacturers or single product distributors. Jetro offers them one-stop shopping and serves a valuable function in the community.
So what caused this closure, and did it represent a threat to the City's health? The answer came from the company's produce manager, Phil Trocchio. It seems that a group of sparrows got into the facility through open loading dock doors. In very much the same way as birds are a part of the Garden area of Navy Pier and other public buildings as well as the ball parks and stadium scene, they were able to find a place where food is available in a safe environment. They invaded Jetro.
The crew of Jetro took the only steps they could to re-establish their credentials with the health department. They brought air rifles to work on Saturday and set about popping away at the birds until the flock decided that their safety was more important than the scraps of food they were able to glean from the otherwise immaculate Jetro premises. What the inspectors found, besides the flying birds, is what birds normally leave behind. This part of the problem has been cleaned up and Jetro is now back in business.
The police have not decided whether to take action against the Jetro crew. After all, they were hunting sparrows without a license. But it is likely that the Conservation Police will not move against the company. |
