Local bank upgrades facilities
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
The work continues on the Bank Midwest lobby at the bank branch located on the corner of West Fourth Street in Maryville. The renovations should be completed by Friday, June 19 and the bank will host the Maryville Chamber of Commerce breakfast Friday, June 26.
Unless you are a frequent visitor to the main Bank Midwest location in Maryville, you may not know that the building is undergoing facility upgrades. For the past few weeks, construction crews have been working to make sure that the building is up to compliance.
“We’ve been at the planning stage for several years to get this done,” Maryville Bank Midwest Vice President Carole Couts said. “We wanted to make sure that upgrades were made not only for soundness and safety, but also for aesthetic purposes.”
The main frame of the Bank Midwest located on the corner of West Fourth Street was built in 1917. With the building being nearly 100 years old, Couts said they wanted to keep some of the original ideas in the upgrade.
“We wanted to keep the character of the building with the marble and the chandeliers and just being able to use those as focal points,” Couts said. “We needed to upgrade the heating and cooling systems with this project, too.”
One part of the upgrade is removing the 1917 boiler system, which has had several updates over the years, but will be completely removed in the latest round of renovations. A highly-efficient heating and cooling system is replacing the boiler.
Along with the new heating and cooling system, the security systems are going to be upgraded as well.
With the ever-changing world of banking and with the introduction of online banking, it is important to find new and different ways to get people to come in to do their banking. Couts said that customers and the community could expect a few changes to the lobby.
“Our teller line will be in a different position,” Couts said. “Our sales people will be in the lobby. We will have some new officer accommodations, so everyone will be in focus. We are committed to our clients and want the upgrades to be a great thing for them.”
Couts has played a huge role in these renovations and has been a member of the Bank Midwest system through acquisition for 35 years.
“This is very important to me,” Couts said. “We have a staff of longevity here and it’s important to all of us.”
The finished renovations should be done by the end of the week and this project will be Couts’ last project before she retires June 26. The bank will host the Maryville Chamber of Commerce breakfast Friday, June 26, as well, and that will be the first event to take place in the newly renovated Bank Midwest.
Couts began working for the bank in 1970 and left for a few years before coming back to work for Cameron Savings and Loans. After working a little while for Cameron Savings and Loans, the company was bought out by Bank Midwest in 2000 and Couts has been with the company ever since.
“This has meant so much to me,” Couts said. “I’ve been a part of this family for so long and we just want to make sure we serve our clients and the community to the best of our abilities.”
