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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Williamstown Charter Review Panel OKs Fix to Address 'Separation of Powers' Concern
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter.
The committee accepted language designed to meet concerns raised by the Planning Board about separation of powers under the charter.
The committee's original compliance language — Article 32 on the annual town meeting warrant — would have made the Select Board responsible for determining a remedy if any other town board or committee violated the charter.
The Planning Board objected to that notion, pointing out that it would give one elected body in town some authority over another.
On Wednesday, Charter Review Committee co-Chairs Andrew Hogeland and Jeffrey Johnson, both members of the Select Board, brought their colleagues amended language that, in essence, gives authority to enforce charter compliance by a board to its appointing authority.
For example, the Select Board would have authority to determine a remedy if, say, the Community Preservation Committee somehow violated the charter. And the voters, who elect the Planning Board, would have ultimate say if that body violates the charter.
In reality, the charter says very little about what town boards and committees — other than the Select Board — can or cannot do, and the powers of bodies like the Planning Board are regulated by state law.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
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The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more