The Roanoke City Market Building is still closed as vendors and contractors try to eradicate a lingering mouse problem.

Darlene Burcham, Roanoke's city manager, talks Monday about the future of the Roanoke City Market Building.

Photos by Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Stephanie Harper, director of the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts, discusses the problems with the Roanoke City Market Building and solutions Monday as vendor Anita Wilson and Robert Parker, the regional spokesman for the health department, look on.

The Roanoke City Market Building food court stayed closed Monday for extensive cleaning and repairs, with the licenses of all 10 eateries suspended because of what health officials called a mouse problem that posed a risk -- but was apparently caught in time.

No reports of sickened diners had been received, in spite of widespread evidence of mouse activity, officials said. The food court will be locked for a long-neglected cleanup for at least another day.

Its closure is falling during the same week that the city will hold a public meeting over the future of the 86-year-old landmark.

Officials predicted the food court will reopen.

"I'm confident that this building is going to come back," City Manager Darlene Burcham said.

A crew focusing on rodent control and extermination, painting, patching and general upkeep descended this past weekend on the food court after it was closed Friday by the city.

"Fall Cleanup" read a sign on the door. But inside, it looked like chaos with counters and equipment pulled out into the middle of the room and sloppy, wet conditions as scrubbing continued.

"The whole building is turned upside down," said Anita Wilson, who owns Burger in the Square with her husband, Louis. "It's going to cost a lot."

Meanwhile, four nonfood stores on the perimeter of the building remained open.

Roanoke Mayor David Bowers said he agreed with the decision to close the food court. "This is a critical wake-up call," the mayor said.

Since midsummer, health inspectors had been monitoring a moderately serious mouse issue in the food court brought to their attention by a market vendor, said Dr. Stephanie Harper, who directs the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts for the Virginia Department of Health.

The concern did not warrant closing down any food stands, but vendors were directed to step up rodent control. During a recent follow-up inspection, however, a health officer found that mouse activity had worsened.

"The mouse problem had escalated and was impacting all 10 of the vendors," Harper said. Out of a concern the mice posed a "significant risk" to public health, inspectors suspended food permits, Harper said.

The findings included "evidence of mice present throughout the facility and that would be urine, droppings, hair," said Health Department spokesman Robert Parker. He said inspectors found signs mice were gnawing on food packages, meaning there was a risk for food contamination.

Wilson said she believes six or seven mice had been found. She said the creatures were about 2 inches long. Wilson said one of the packages gnawed was a bag of sugar.

Harper declined to confirm those points or elaborate. She told reporters the agency would release inspection records as soon as possible and that it could take up to five days, as allowed by law.

Dick Tabb, the Health Department's environmental health manager, said officials acted to protect the public.

"We're concerned because it's affecting the food," he said.

The city, which had been wanting to spruce up the market building before a new art museum opens nearby, saw the stoppage of food operations as a chance to close most of the market building for needed repairs, Burcham said.

Mezzanine-level renovations have been under way for some time. The bathrooms have been upgraded. But this allows work to go forward on the first floor, which needs a new coat of paint, among other things. Food preparation booths will get top-to-bottom attention.

Burcham did not have an estimate of what the job will cost the city or vendors. The city has owned the building since 2001 and leases space to a variety of eateries.

"We've learned that we need to have some kind of regular cleaning," Burcham said.

From now on, the food court will get it twice a year, she said, during which time the facility will be closed.

David "Chico" Estrada, owner of Chico's Big Lick Pizza, said a city representative told food vendors to close by 6 p.m. Friday for a meeting.

Burcham and Harper appeared and broke the news that food permits were being suspended and the food court closed until sanitation issues were corrected.

Estrada said mouse issues are not new. He said he has made and sold pizza from the city market building for 18 years.

"There's been evidence of mice for 18 years," he said.

Estrada said an exterminator working in the building said a find of seven mice is "comparable" to what the exterminator would expect to find in almost any other restaurant building if it had undergone the same rigorous review, Estrada said.

When the building was shut, vendors sprung into action, Estrada said.

Some worked during the weekend to tidy up their spaces. Contractors got busy. By Monday morning, when Burcham and Harper returned to meet with food vendors, "they were astonished at how much we've done," he said.

But the closure continued.

Harper said health inspectors will allow the eateries to reopen only after their booths are back in compliance with state food regulations.

Burcham pledged to throw a celebration when the food court reopens.

"Join us for lunch," she said.

Burcham did not directly say who might be at fault for the breakdown in sanitation.

"I don't think it's important to assign blame," she said.

Wilson said her business will miss its daily sales of about $650 to $1,000. She said she believes the city and vendors should discuss whether the city should provide compensation to shuttered vendors.

Burcham was noncommittal, saying compensation had not been discussed.

As the first weekday lunch hour since the closing began, the hungry pulled on the locked front door of the city market building, shrugged and went elsewhere.

"I like that there are so many varieties of things to choose from and the prices are reasonable," said Sonia Brown, who was outside the entrance on Monday but had not tried to go in.

Alan Perlmutter stepped up to the building's front doors, studied the sign and turned away.

He travels to Roanoke from Richmond once a month on business, and each time he eats there. He usually orders barbecue at Nick's Pig-N-Chicken. But this time, he headed off in the direction of Blues BBQ and the Roanoke Weiner Stand, still not sure what to eat.

Staff writer Jenny Kincaid Boone contributed to this report.