Documents detail disrepair at market building; Mayor Bowers takes blame
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Documents detail disrepair at market building;...
Mayor Bowers says he wouldn't have eaten at the market had he known that it hadn't been cleaned in about 10 years
Published: September 24, 2008
Updated: September 24, 2008
Warning:
Some may consider these photos graphic.
Inspection photos
WSLS 10 On Your Side obtained documents from the ‘Virginia Department Of Health’ which detail the disrepair at the city market building.
Since the city is the building’s landlord—we asked to discuss the inspection results with City Manager Darlene Burcham. But she never returned our call.
When we showed them to Mayor David Bowers—he had plenty to say.
Mollie says: “So this one says “observed multiple holes in the holes and walls which perpetuate…“
Mayor David Bowers replies: “It’s awful, it’s awful, it’s atrocious, it’s despicable, I’m ashamed.“
The documents also show that the “physical structure is not maintained in good repair.“ And, that inspectors saw “multiple holes in the floors and walls.“ Inspectors also noted that a vendor told them that the “ceiling leaks during rain storms.“
Mollie asks: “Why did it get to this point?“
“I don’t know, you can keep asking me that, I don’t know”, replied Bowers.
Mayor Bowers says he wouldn’t have eaten at the market had he known that it hadn’t been cleaned in about 10 years. He says that’s too long And, as mayor—he accepts the blame.
“That’s a city property, we should have maintained it, we didn’t, we’re going to do it now,“ Bowers told us.
But, according to the lease between the city and the vendors—both parties are responsibile for the building’s upkeep.
The city’s obligations include, but are not limited to, repairs to the roof, exterior and interior walls. Tenants are supposed to keep the premise in good repair, condition and appearance. That includes storing items in accordance with health codes.
Mollie asks, “Is there a certain maintenance schedule that the city implements to make sure that its properties are up to spec?“
“There has not been—there will be now,“ Bowers said.
The city will call for regular cleanups twice a year at the market building. Bowers says regular maintenance schedules should be set up at every public building to ensure the safety and welfare of the public.
After all, Bowers added, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.“
Reader Reactions
David Bowers’ statement that he would not have eaten in the Market Building if he had known that the building had not been cleaned in 10 years is VERY misleading. The Market Building gets “cleaned” every day…by the vendors in their individual booths and by the cleaning crew for the rest of the building. It is not like the building has not been swept, mopped, dusted, bathrooms scoured, trash taken out, windows cleaned, etc. in 10 years. That gets done every single day. The REAL issue here is that the City has let things go unattended for years. There are numerous reasons for mice in the building, very few of which have anything to do with the vendors not doing their part. There have been holes in the walls and ceiling tiles, broken windows, clogged drains, and leaky roofs for years. All of these problems give mice easy access to the building. All of those things are the City’s responsibility to maintain, yet they did nothing until now. Not only are the vendors having to suffer losses from being closed, they have had to throw away perfectly good food because noone knows when the building will reopen. Contrary to popular belief (and what the media seems to be harping on), NOT every bite of food in the building was contaminated. Also, employees of the vendors are stuck in limbo, not knowing whether or not to file for unemployment or search for other jobs while the City does these much-overdue repairs. The shutdown of the Market Building has a far-reaching impact on Roanoke City…from the vendors and their employees suffering financial loss to the people who live and work downtown now having to go elsewhere for lunch. I sincerely hope that people will continue to support the Market Building vendors once it reopens. Those people have poured their hearts and souls into their business for a very long time and have given Roanoke many excellent, inexpensive, unique alternatives to typical fast food restaurants.
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