Facing financial woes, Colonial Williamsburg to restructure

(AP) — Colonial Williamsburg will outsource many of its commercial operations and lay off workers in response to declining attendance and long-running financial challenges, the living history museum's top official announced Thursday.

The foundation that operates the eastern Virginia attraction is in final negotiations with four companies that will manage its golf operations, retail stores, much of its maintenance and facilities operations and its commercial real estate, President and CEO Mitchell Reiss said.

"For a variety of reasons - business decisions made in years past, less American history being taught in schools, changing times and tastes that cause us to attract half the visitors we did 30 years ago - the Foundation loses significant amounts of money every year," he wrote in a letter shared publicly.

Reiss said 71 jobs from departments across the foundation will be eliminated by year's end, and another 262 employees may choose to work for the contract companies, which agreed to hire and retain eligible employees for at least the next year.