An invasion of rats has closed the grocery area of Hampton’s only Target store for more than two weeks – and a spokesman said it will remain closed until the company is confident the area is pest free.
A video surfaced last month on Facebook showing a pair of rats scampering around near the dog food display. The grocery area now is sectioned off with heavy plastic sheets.
The Minnesota-based corporation confirmed there was a rodent population at its store at the Peninsula Town Center and had stopped selling food before the Easter holiday, spokesman Brian Harper-Tibaldo said.
“We’re working with the local health department and area pest control vendors to ensure the concern is addressed quickly,” Harper-Tibaldo said in an email.
Target said it does not know how long it will take. The company’s internal pest management said the type of rodent discovered was a black rat, also known as a “roof rat” which tends to dwell in high places and near food sources.
Rumors on social media and elsewhere suggested the rodents crossed over to Target to escape the rubble that was the Quality Inn on the other side of Mercury Boulevard. Last month, Hampton razed the former hotel, demolishing the building in chunks.
Hampton sent its entomologist to investigate that claim.
“There was no evidence of that,” City Manager Mary Bunting said. “Underneath all that pavement … we have our underground sewer lines. They could not find evidence of rats accessing the property through the underground systems.”
Bunting added that when the city went through the demolish checklist, crews would have seen evidence of rodents in the vacant building. Also, the hotel had been shuttered for so long and there is no food source there.
“If they were all really in that building, and you start tearing down the building, the rats would immediately dissipate. You would see rats all over the street. You would have people freaking out and calling,” Bunting said. “No one reported anything.”
Hampton also checked in with Target — noting the company appeared to have an active pest management control system in place, Asst. City Manager Brian DeProfio said. The city also met with other shop owners at Peninsula Town Center, who told officials they would start emptying out dumpsters more frequently.
Revenue from Hampton retailers and grocery stores have been strong during the pandemic. Hampton receives 1% of all sales tax from retailers operating in the city.
Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com
