WEST GREENWICH – The two main buildings that are part of the University of Rhode Island’s W. Alton Jones campus will close for good early next month.
URI will shutter the Whispering Pines Conference Center and the Environmental Education Center located on the 2,300-acre campus. The university said in a statement that the two facilities have been “struggling financially for several years” and the decision to close them comes “after many efforts by the university to improve the financial situation.”
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URI also felt it would be “cost prohibitive to try to maintain these activities in the current financial climate, citing the health and safety directives related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to URI’s website, the Whispering Pines Conference Center hosts conferences, retreats and team-building programs. It includes 32 guest rooms and four conference rooms. The Environmental Education Center hosted close to 1,900 campers during the summer and about 70 student groups during the school year.
The Alton Jones campus employs 17 people, URI said. A maintenance crew will remain there where possible and other employees “will be placed in available positions at the university to minimize employment impacts from this decision,” URI said.
The university also said it will examine the best use for the campus, which also includes lakes and farmland.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
