The Riverside Convention Center, closed since late March due to the coronavirus pandemic, recently laid off 73 employees as hopes of reopening by the end of the year are now uncertain at best.
Scott Megna, president of the Raincross Hospitality Corp. that manages the city-owned center, confirmed in a Thursday, Aug. 6, email that layoffs occurred “across all operations” of employees who have been furloughed since March.
“The team here is my family and these past weeks have been gut-wrenching,” Megna wrote. “In my 30-plus-year career, these have been the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make.”
He added: “We were hopeful that the pandemic and its impact on our business operations would be short-lived and cautiously optimistic that we might re-open by July 1. Even after that date slipped, we were hopeful to reopen by September 1.”
“Unfortunately, it has become (increasingly) clear that a reopening date is simply not possible to predict given the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus and the lack of a vaccine at this time.”
The pandemic and ensuing statewide stay-at-home order have hit the tourism industry especially hard. A study on the pandemic’s economic toll from Claremont McKenna College found that in March and April, Riverside County lost more than 44,000 leisure and hospitality jobs.
In May 2019, the Riverside City Council approved a plan to double the 65,000-square-foot center’s size and add an amphitheater and 376 hotel rooms by early 2023. Five years prior, work finished on a $43 million expansion and renovation of the center.
Now the center, along with 10 other city properties, are on a list of city holdings that could be sold to raise cash for the financially challenged city. The council in May was set to finalize the list, but the vote was put off until a council committee could further study the proposal.
"center" - Google News
August 10, 2020 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/31y9Izs
Riverside Convention Center lays off 73 amid coronavirus closure - Press-Enterprise
"center" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3bUHym8
https://ift.tt/2zR6ugj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Riverside Convention Center lays off 73 amid coronavirus closure - Press-Enterprise"
Post a Comment