FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Fresno provided a summary of the company linked to the illegal lab in Reedley, Universal Meditech’s, business dealings in Fresno, officials said Thursday.
According to Fresno officials, Universal Meditech, Inc. (UMI)/ Prestige Biotech, Inc. (PBI) submitted operational statements for the occupancy of a warehouse and office space in east-central Fresno located at 3900 N. Blatella Lane. These were submitted on March 15, 200, and June 20, 2023, respectively to the City Planning and Development Department.
A letter from the City of Fresno was sent Wednesday to the owner of the building, Ford Tetra Partners outlining the current issue with the lasted operational statement provided by PBI.
Thursday, officials say the building has not received final inspections or an occupancy permit. Without owner authorization, a list of hazardous materials, and appropriate hazardous material handling permits – the operational statement cannot be evaluated or approved. The project must also comply with all local, state, and federal regulatory guidelines and laws.
TIMELINE OF KNOWN PRIOR BUSINESS DEALINGS
August 2018
The business at 1320 E. Fortune Avenue was approved to occupy as Universal Meditech, Inc. on Aug. 14, 2018.
August 2020
On Aug. 26, 2020, the Fresno Fire Department completed an incident report. The report stated that a fire at the lab had burned surrounding shelving and materials. It also noted unpermitted lab walls and unpermitted electrical wiring.
September 2020
On Sep. 8, 2020, a Fire Damage Report was completed by the City Building and Safety Services Division.
Between 2020 and 2022, all City inspections were scaled back due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including Fresno Fire and Code Enforcement inspections.
November 2022
In Nov. 2022, various inspections took place, including one by Fresno County Environmental Health. Amidst inspections by City Code Enforcement, Fresno Fire inspectors, and County officials – the CEO of UMI, XiaoXiao Wang notified city officials of a dispute with the landlord and subsequent court proceedings related to the lease.
December 2022
On December 27, 2022, the tenant moved out and the case was closed.
Three months later, Ford Tetra Partners submitted paperwork identifying UMI as the proposed tenant of the Blattella Lane building.
