Crews moving dirt on a site off Jefferson Street in Athens are preparing for the construction of a new First National Bank.
The Pulaski, Tenn.-based bank already operates one Athens branch, located at 1880 U.S. 72. The Jefferson Street location will be a full-service bank, and include inside and drive-thru service and an ATM.
First National Bank received its site plan approval for the new project on May 21, and the bank will be built on roughly one-third of an acre. It will rest on property formerly occupied by the Ladage Artistry building and a bail bond company. Both buildings were demolished last week.
Jeff Hodges, senior vice president of First National Bank in Athens, said the new bank would look very similar architecturally to the U.S. 72 location. He said while the construction is new, the bank has had plans to add a downtown location for at least two years.
“A lot of our customers had voiced their desire that we have a downtown location,” Hodges said. “It will help serve those customers we have (downtown) and those on the western side (of the county).”
The new First National Bank will be located due south of Regions Bank. However, Hodges doesn’t view that as an issue.
“If you go to larger cities, you may have three or four big banks you can throw a blanket over,” he said. “We’re good neighbors with all our competitors, but there’s not that many spots to go (downtown). That’s just where we landed.”
The new location will be staffed by three-to-four employees, but will offer the same services as the other branch, he said. The total size of the new building will be about 2,200 square feet.
Brindley Construction out of Pulaski is the contractor on the project. Hodges expects the new location to be open in the first quarter of 2013.
“We’re just excited about being in the downtown area and look forward to getting it open and serving the people,” he said.
Local News
September 28, 2012
First National Bank coming to downtown Athens
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