The Ohio University Credit Union's new facility on East State Street opened yesterday after nearly four years of planning and construction.
The new credit union building, 944 E. State St., cost about $4.5 million to construct, CEO Phil Meyer said.
It's been a culmination of 3 1/2-4 years of planning
designing and constructing this facility he said. We really believe this building is going to increase the value of the Ohio University Credit Union membership.
Contractor HBE Corporation of St. Louis broke ground for the facility in February 2003. The 17,000-square-foot facility is two stories. There are also four drive-through lanes and a drive-up ATM. A new feature to the building is new safe deposit boxes, which members can access themselves by using a personal code and by putting their right hands under a scanner to identify themselves.
The expansion also will add seven to 10 jobs, including tellers, branch managers and membership service representatives. Many of the credit union's 60 employees in the administrative, marketing and accounting departments are transferring to East State Street, Meyer said.
Meyer said East State Street is a prime location for the new building.
We think it's going to be a wonderful facility as far as location goes he said. It also will relieve some of the pressure off the Shafer Street facility. We're hopeful that as we grow
more of our business will transfer out here.
The new facility will leave several empty offices in the Shafer Street building, 90 S. Shafer St., which is about 12,000 square feet, said Laura Pratt, marketing manager for the credit union.
We were so out of space at Shafer Street
she said. The (building) will really be opening up.
OU sophomore Amy Daugherty, who lives in Bromley Hall, said she uses the credit union on Shafer Street because it is closer, but thinks the new location will be convenient and will reduce backup at the Shafer Street location.
I've gone inside (the bank) a couple of times and the line was really long
she said. That's why I use the ATM.
The credit union has more than 20,000 members made up of OU and Hocking College employees, alumni and students. The East State Street facility will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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