Sunday, September 28, 2008
Building deserves undivided attention
Read Shanna's blog
Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
Shanna Flowers
Recent columns
Here we are on Day Nine of Mousegate, and still there are more questions than answers.
When does all the Roanoke City Market Building drama end?
When do vendors realize the issue is bigger than they are?
When does the city fully grasp that it owns the prime piece of real estate in a downtown that is the center of this region, and yet the building looks like it belongs to a slumlord who does just enough to get by?
When does city council summon the guts to scrap the idea of an amphitheater that is nothing more than a campaign promise and focus on the renovation of a building that has the potential to become the gem of the region?
None of those questions were answered at the city-sponsored meeting about the market building Thursday night.
But one thing not at all in question is how clearly the landmark building is appreciated by so many. The protracted, Victory Stadiumesque indecision that has clouded the imposing structure's future for several years has not diminished Roanokers' fondness for it.
"It's not the neatest thing in terms of appearance, but it is in terms of character. That's something we should savor," said James Rosar, who operates a bicycle rental and repair shop in the building.
Tom McKeon, executive director of the Higher Education Center, urged the audience to "look at the market more comprehensively ... not by throwing anything out but maintaining what's best and adding to it."
The building is beloved, but raggedy.
The health department put the kibosh on the food court's 10 vendors Sept. 20 because mice are having a field day inside the building. No big surprise when you consider the condition of the 86-year-old structure.
Pictures from the health department showed mouse droppings, unsightly holes in the wall allowing easy access for the rodents, a dead mouse and other distasteful images.
In the words of one vendor, the market building is in "a shambles." He noted that the vendors haven't done their part and neither has the city.
The building needs a makeover. It has needed one for a long time. Here and there in recent years, the city has stepped up, upgrading the building's heating and cooling system to the tune of $1.6 million in 2004.
Padlocking the building a week ago has put the market building on the front burner again -- and turned up the heat on all involved.
Most pressing to vendors and their employees is when it will reopen. When the health department suspended vendors' licenses, that shut down their businesses and threw them into paycheck purgatory.
Assistant City Manager Brian Townsend said Friday afternoon that he did not know when the city will reopen the building. He added that "progress was being made," including cleaning and painting it.
Robert Parker, spokesman for the health department, said the agency is responsible for regulating the food areas, their cleanliness and compliance with health standards.
"There's been a considerable amount of work done," he said. "There's still a considerable amount remaining."
Once the food services work is completed, health officials can restore the licenses, but the city doesn't necessarily have to reopen the building at the same time, Parker said.
Townsend said some of the work is the responsibility of vendors. When they complete their portion will help determine when the building reopens. Until then, he said, "I don't know when. I'm not going to speculate."
I understand how eager vendors are for the building to reopen soon. They want to get back to their livelihoods. But they also need to come to grips with the fact that the long-term vision for the market building must include more than that.
If the market building is to truly be a destination place for visitors to Western Virginia, it's going to have to offer more than inexpensive burgers, gyros and slices of pizza. It also ought to include more retail, and maybe -- dare I say? -- a national chain.
I'm not suggesting the market building should be a high-end joint; a new and massively improved facility needs to retain its casual flavor.
But it's going to take significant money from the city.
Council members are going to have to set some priorities in spending tax dollars.
They can start by shelving Councilman David Trinkle's pet project of an amphitheater.
We can barely sustain one entertainment facility (the Roanoke Civic Center). Why are we trying to build another? Put the resources into the market building. It's a sure thing.
Shanna Flowers' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
