image description — The property at 877 Simonds Road in Williamstown is seen with a large roadside sign advertising a property auction in June.

North Williamstown Commercial/Residential Site Slated for Auction

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
12:41PM / Sunday, May 18, 2025Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A large commercial property near the Vermont border is set to be auctioned off next month.

Last weekend, JJ Manning Auctioneers posted signs at 877 Simonds Road (U.S. Route 7) announcing a June 17 auction at the property, which was home to the former Chenail farm stand and currently houses other businesses, including a martial arts studio.

The online advertisement for the property says it encompasses about 7.1 acres of mixed-use land with eight structures, including a two-family home and two greenhouses.

At the south end of the property, it is bisected by Broad Brook; about 1.5 acres of the lot (21 percent) is on the south side of the waterway or includes the brook itself.

Richard and Donna Chenail are currently listed as owners on the town tax roll, and the property has an assessed value of $632,900.

JJ Manning’s website says that pre-auction offers will be entertained.

The auction is scheduled for noon on Tuesday, June 17.

Tags: auction,

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Images Cinema Community Rallies to Aid Departed Managing Director

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:34PM / Thursday, March 12, 2026

Janet Curran's friends started a gofundme to help her through the transition.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The community is rallying to support the longtime managing director of Images Cinema after her job was eliminated late last year.

As of Thursday morning, a Gofundme campaign for Janet Curran had raised more than $12,500 from 90 contributors.

"I feel really held and supported by the community right now," Curran said this week. "I'm really moved that people appreciate the work that I did at Images."

Curran did that work for about a quarter of a century, first as a volunteer in 2000, then as an intern in 2002 and finally as the managing director, a position she held since 2007.

"If you've been to Images Cinema in the last 25 years … you've probably been helped by her, welcomed by her, or had a conversation with her that you still think about," the creators of the Gofundme campaign wrote.

"Janet is one of those people who makes a place worth living in. She's kind without making a show of it, dependable in a way many people aren't, and she has given more to this community than she'd ever say herself."

Two days before Thanksgiving 2025, Curran learned from the Spring Street theater's board of directors and Executive Director Dan Hudson that her position was being eliminated. Her last day at the non-profit movie house was Jan. 2.

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