Williams Inn Closing Friday Over COVID-19 Concerns
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams Inn is the latest local business to shutter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Williams College President Maud Mandel, in an email to the college community on Thursday, announced that the inn will be closing its doors on Friday.
Everyone but a skeleton staff of maintenance personnel will be furloughed until the inn can safely resume operations, Mandel wrote.
The college will be providing funds to pay employees at the inn — managed by the Waterford Company — through April 6 and continue their benefits until they can transition to the state's plan.
Mandel said two other Spring Street businesses operated in college-owned buildings are evaluating their future in light of the pandemic and public health concerns.
Ramunto's at the Log continues to operate a takeout and limited delivery service but is talking with the college about its next steps.
The Williams College Bookstore is maintaining shortened hours, but Follett, which operates the store, "will make its own decisions about continued operations," Mandel wrote.
To help those and other businesses, Williams is waiving April rent for all retail establishments that lease space in college-owned properties on Spring Street, Mandel wrote.
"The pandemic is disrupting the retail and service economy nationwide, particularly in small towns, and this was a step we could take to help local merchants whom we value as neighbors and friends," she wrote.
The college previously announced that it would continue to pay its own employees despite a decision to send its students home after classes ended last Friday, and Mandel reaffirmed that commitment in her email.
Earlier Thursday, Williams announced a $50,000 donation from the college to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Berkshire County. The initiative of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Berkshire United Way has raised $600,000 in flexible funds for 501c3 organizations in the county.
Mandel noted that construction crews continue to work at two college-owned building projects, the unified science center and the Fort Hoosac project on South Street. A decision was made to continue after the college's executive director for design and construction reviewed the general contractors' public health protocols, and the school continues to monitor the sites.
"The pandemic and economic downturn are causing a great deal of upheaval for the region, country, and globe," Mandel wrote. "Williams and all of us are trying to navigate these challenges quickly and effectively, while also demonstrating appreciation and sensitivity for the complex needs of our community. I ask for your ongoing engagement in these efforts, so that Williams, and Williamstown, and all of us can work through the crisis together."
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