GRANJENO – Several Granjeno residents said leftover damage from past storms may be a safety concern for their community.  

A CHANNEL 5 NEWS crew went back to Granjeno and saw the remnants of the storm that blew through the community last year.

Resident Amalia Olivarez said her home was significantly damaged by strong winds last May. She said it took her months to repair.

But Olivarez said her major concern is the Granjeno Community Center.

“Well kids go play over there but I don’t know if their parents tell them not to go,” she said. “They might get hurt… There’s a lot of stuff inside and they’re already working in there but I don’t know what they’re doing.”

We saw nails, insulation and large piles of debris when we stepped in the center. No warning or caution tape advising people not to enter was placed at its entrance.

Granjeno Mayor Yvette Cabrera told CHANNEL 5 NEWS they had initially placed a barrier before the construction.

“When the construction company started, they tore pieces down because they needed to run some lines through there and things like that,” she said.

Cabrera said the construction company is responsible for the barriers.

“That is one of our concerns, that next construction company will be expressed that a barrier needs to be up at all times,” he said.

The mayor said the delay was due to a park project the city had already planned. She said the city and engineers recently met to create a new blueprint for the community center.

“We are trying to prove that the building was not stabilized. It was not stable and it’s one of the things we are trying to do is avoid this for the future,” she said.

Cabrera said the blueprint for the new facility should be finalized by the end of the month, as well as the completion of phase one of the park.

In the meantime, she said no one is allowed anywhere near the park or the community center.