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COURTESY ERIN DEL LLANO

Nearly 200 cots have been set up at Hampshire College’s Robert Crown Center to give utility workers a place to rest.

AMHERST - A gymnasium at Hampshire College has become a makeshift shelter for crews working to restore power lines and remove tree debris following last weekend's snowstorm.

Close to 200 workers for National Grid, as well as contractors from outside companies, stayed overnight in the Robert Crown Center at the South Amherst campus Wednesday. About the same number were expected to stay there Thursday night as well.

"Hampshire College is showing spirit of community," said Bill Hilbrunner, director of fleet services for National Grid. "I can't say enough about that. They have been really accommodating."

Hilbrunner's role is to provide background support for work crews, including making sure they have shelter and food.

"We're looking for places for folks to put their heads down at night," he said.

Mark Spiro, Hampshire College's vice president for finance and administration, said Hilbrunner contacted President Jonathan Lash asking if the campus had space for up to 300 people and 75 vehicles and whether it could also provide food to the workers.

"We decided it was something we could do and that it was the right thing to do for the community," Spiro said.

Hampshire college spokeswoman Elaine Thomas said Hampshire was assisted by Mount Holyoke College Sunday when the campus lost power and 175 students needed food and a place to stay. Classes at Hampshire were to resume today.

Larry Archey, associate director of facilities and grounds at Hampshire, said the college was able to offer space for two nights because no events had been scheduled at the gymnasium.

Hilbrunner said National Grid's preference is to have workers stay in local hotel rooms, but already a few thousand workers were being housed there.

"Sometimes that is just not possible," Hilbrunner said.

Hilbrunner said the crews staying at Hampshire are working mostly in Athol, Monson and Longmeadow.

At 5 a.m. Wednesday, the workers awoke and headed to the campus dining hall, where breakfast was served and each was given a boxed lunch. By 6:30 a.m., all were on the road with their work orders, well in advance of students' arrival at the dining commons.

A hot dinner was expected to be served from 8 to 10 p.m., after the workers finished their 12- to 14-hour shifts.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.