New update on the perpetual delays that keep me from opening my much needed child care program: We were supposed to get our occupancy permit this week, which makes it possible for me to move forward with my health and licensing process, some of the interior doors are missing a tag the fire department wants them to have.

The doors work. They are fire rated. But there is a tag missing. Therefore, they are preventing me from opening because it’s apparently impossible for this fully built program to serve families if two doors are missing tags.

This seems like the kind of thing that can be solved without delaying opening. Can’t they just give us 30 days to order new tags or new doors? Why can’t we open? Are all the children going to die in a fire if there aren’t tags on two solid wood doors for a month?

It seems like the goal of zoning/permitting/fire departments is to work against the successful opening of new businesses in every way they can.