Mayor Jeff Triplett,
On behalf of the entire McDonalds/CPH Team, I want to quickly reiterate how important your assistance was last week.
As you know, about an hour before the Super Bowl (Feb. 5) a fire ravaged the kitchen of the McDonalds on French Avenue here in downtown Sanford.
Fortunately, no patrons or employees were injured, but there was a considerable amount of destruction done to the building and equipment and the restaurant had to be closed. This unfortunate situation left nearly 50 employees without a place to work, and the community losing thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue. In this economy, every penny counts to employees and the community.
Immediately we reached out to you, and we’ve been amazed with the results. Your staff has put into action the idea that Sanford is open for business.
The City Manager, Norton Bonaparte Jr., immediately stepped in and was coordinating internally with city staff and following up daily with CPH for progress updates from the McDonalds response team. His leadership, along with the contributions of Dan Florian and Tim Robles in the Building and Fire Departments, eliminated red tape that would have taken weeks to navigate through.
I am proud to report that after the original forecast of the store being closed for 3 to 4 weeks, we were able to reopen Friday afternoon in less than five days!
The impact that this has had on the lives of our employees and customers is difficult to express in words, but will not be forgotten. Mayor Triplett, the City of Sanford had an opportunity to shine after the fire last week, and shine it did!
It became clear to our entire team that Sanford truly is “Open for Business,” and thanks to your guidance even more people are aware of this fact.
Thank you and your entire staff again.
Justin Polk, P.E., LEED AP
Vice President / Associate
CPH Engineers, Sanford