BMO Harris Bank will close its Gillett branch on March 1, but the building may quickly find a new purpose.
According to Gillett Mayor Irene Drake, the city hopes to partner with the Gillett Public Library to purchase the building to use as a community activity and learning center. The city has made an offer on the building and is waiting for a response, she said.
It wouldn’t be the first time a bank building is converted in Gillett; the current library was once a bank.
The library’s board of directors is raising funds for an expansion to provide space for programming and meeting rooms. Purchasing the bank building, which is next door to the library, would change the plans but not the need for the addition, Library Director Kay Rankel said.
“The expansion project will continue no matter what,” she said.
If the purchase goes through, green space between the bank, at 204 E. Main St., and the library, 200 E. Main St., could be used for community functions such as farmers markets, concerts and community events, city officials said.
Jim Kappel, vice president and head of media relations at BMO Harris, would not comment on the sale of the building.
According to Kappel, the bank’s closure is due to low customer volume.
“Banking has changed so much in the last 15 years, with home computers, Smart phones and ATMs. People now get their money out any time they want it,” he said.
Three employees are affected by the closure. BMO Harris is assisting with their transitions to other locations and with education for other employment opportunities, Kappel said.
He said 1,300 banks have closed throughout the U.S., based on surveys taken from July 2012 to June 2013, all due to the conveniences of today’s technology. The BMO Harris branch in Little Suamico closed in 2013.
“Unfortunately, the bank closing means a loss of tax dollars for the community,” Drake said.
Yet the closure also provides opportunity for the city to open a community center, if all goes well, she said.
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