Plans approved for new ANB Bank

WORLAND — The landscape in the south side of the 700 block of Big Horn Avenue will be changing later this year when ANB Bank tears down their current two-story building and replaces it with a modern one-story building.

The site plan for the new ANB Bank was approved by the Worland Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission at Thursday’s meeting. The plan calls for demolition of the two-story existing office-style building and the adjacent one-story building.

The two will be replaced with a single, one-story building with the drive-thru attached.

Worland ANB Bank community bank president Duane Whitlock said one of the big features of the new facility is the fact that the drive-thru will be attached to the bank. Currently the drive-thru is in a different building behind the bank.

Currently it has to be run separately, as far as safety and concern, have that in the main building where everyone can service, is a great asset, Whitlock said in an interview Monday.

ANB Bank has also received approval from the Wyoming Department of Transportation for the drive-thru as it will exit onto Big Horn Avenue. There will be a right-turn only from the drive-thru onto Big Horn Avenue.

In addition to accepting site plans for the new building, the BAPC also approved temporary use permit for a trailer that the bank will use during construction for offices. The tellers will all be housed at the current drive-thru location.

Whitlock said Monday that there are several reasons for a new facility in Worland. “Primarily, it’s a long-term investment in our community,” he said.

He said a new building has been needed for a while, due to the size and age of the current building. He said the oldest part of the building was built in 1967.

ANB Bank will be going to a smaller footprint from 13,000 square feet to just under 4,000 square feet in building space, Whitlock said.

The new building will provide room for growth, but also be highly functional and more efficient than the current building. The current building, he added, is also a “behemoth to heat and cool.”

Whitlock said, “It will be a big change and we’re cognizant of that fact and aware that it is an older building. It’s been an icon here for a long time. There’s a lot of history with it. We have some plans to incorporate some of the history into the new building … we’ve been a bank here on this corner since 1910.”