New banks on the rise in Worland

WORLAND – Big Horn Federal Savings Bank in Worland, located at 1006 Big Horn Avenue, is still in a temporary facility while the former bank building was removed this summer and replaced with a new, upgraded and larger building.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by November, by Hughes Truss of Worland, and the bank operations should be fully moved in by January.

“The new building should be a pretty good deal,” said Branch Manager Tad DeBolt. “We’re going to have a larger building and technology to prepare us for the next 20 years of banking.”

DeBolt noted that the building floorplan will copy the Big Horn Federal Savings facility in Thermopolis, with the addition of a community meeting room for area meetings and groups.

DeBolt also pointed out that the drive-thru lanes will be wider than before, with the addition of a drive-up ATM.

Following a new trend in banking, the bank will also feature more privacy for new account customers with private offices, and increased privacy for walk-up customers with wider partitions at the teller windows.

“Everything is going really well and we are proud of our local contractors for making the whole process so painless,” said Debolt.

Big Horn Federal Savings has operated in Wyoming since 1935, and currently has branches in Greybull, Cody, Thermopolis, Powell, Lovell and Worland.

ANB BANK

Down the street, ANB Bank (formerly Stockgrowers State Bank) is replacing the original 1967, brick facility with a new-one story building at 700 Big Horn Avenue.

While the new building is under construction, customers can utilize the drive-up services and a temporary bank unit on the property’s parking lot.

The demolition of the old facility has seen setbacks, however, when asbestos was discovered four separate times, forcing the bank to work with the state to remediate the

problem before continuing demolition.

“It’s not moving too much,” said ANB Bank President Duane Whitlock. “The asbestos removal has taken longer than we thought, but for good reasons. It has to be done right to protect the public and the surrounding soil.”

Whitlock believes the demolition should be completed by November, and the final bank construction, originally scheduled for December, should be finished in February or March.

The new bank will feature a new lobby, entrances, two-lane drive-up service window, 24-hour ATM services and a 3,000 square foot banking center.

In February, the bank and landscaping plan was approved by the Worland Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission. The plans also received approval from the Wyoming Department of Transportation for the drive-thru, as it will exit onto Big Horn Avenue, with a right-only runout onto the street.