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The Jemison McDonald’s was shut down shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday because of

a low health department rating.

Chilton County Public Health Environmental Supervisor Keith Jackson said the health department received a complaint about the restaurant not having air conditioning and performed an inspection throughout the eatery on Monday.

Pam New with the Chilton County Health Department performed the inspection and called Jackson for assistance after locating several critical issues with the restaurant.

Jackson said after the two inspected the McDonald’s, the health rating score was 58.

According to guidelines established by the Alabama Department of Public Health, (ADPH) a score of 60 or below requires a restaurant to be closed immediately.

“We gave those at the restaurant the option to voluntarily close down or we would get an order from the health officer,” Jackson said. “They chose to close down and after being shut down overnight, brought their score up upon re-inspection the next morning.”

Although Jackson said the Chilton County Health Department is continuing an investigation at the McDonald’s, several critical issues were taken care of during the time frame of 3 p.m. on Monday to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday that resulted in the restaurant being given a new score of 89.

New said all of the items except the air conditioning were fixed by Tuesday morning and the air conditioning was supposed to be replaced on Wednesday.

The ADPH deems an 89-100 score to be in “satisfactory compliance” and is inspected on routine schedule.

State law requires any facility selling food to have a current food service permit that is issued by the local county health department.

Food service establishments are generally required to be inspected a minimum of three times per year depending on the type of food being prepared.

The last published inspection on the ADPH website for the Jemison McDonald’s was on May 9 with a health rating of 85.

New confirmed on Wednesday the critical issues resulting in the 58 rating on Monday included mold in the ice machine, cold holding temperatures were out of range, food was not protected from contamination relating to temperatures in the building, an employee drinking a beverage in the drive-thru, excessive flies and insecticides, and cleaning products stored with clean dishes.

On a checklist for food establishments listed on the ADPH website, the presence of insects, rodents, other pests or animals are prohibited and constitute a critical item requiring immediate action.

Jackson said this was the first time the McDonald’s was shut down for a period of time due to a low health rating.

The supervisor of the McDonald’s couldn’t be reached on Wednesday.