Spring St. Will Be Closed This Saturday For Outdoor Dining

Here's something kinda interesting. Now that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has allowed restaurants to serve hungry patrons indoors, the Williamstown Select Board made the announcement that Spring Street will be temporarily closed this Saturday(6/27) to allow eateries to set up tables in the road.

According to a story from iBerkshires.com, at the end of Monday's Select Board meeting, Chair Jane Patton announced that Spring Street will be closed this Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.

Patton, also the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce's vice president, said there was unanimous agreement from the street's restaurants in a recent virtual chamber meeting that the owners wanted to give outdoor table service a try.

Town Manager Jason Hoch said the town thought it could duplicate models in other towns and cities that have created outdoor dining areas for restaurants who lack a parking area of their own.

Hoch has also pointed out that even when the state reopening guidelines moved from outdoor dining only to indoor and outdoor service, the rules mandating 6 feet between tables will cut down on the number of seats inside restaurants.Plus, customers may feel more comfortable dining in the open air.

When the town first suggested the idea of temporary closures of Spring Street, social media reaction was negative, for the most part. Many residents pointed out potential harm to residents of apartments upstairs from the ground-level stores and restaurants.

Jane Patton said, "We recognize that this is not perfect for everybody, and some folks are going to be happy about it and some are not."

What do you think? Good idea or bad? Whatever your opinion, share it with us. Go to our Facebook page and let us know your thoughts. And for much, much more on the story, head to iBerkshires.com.