Arvest holds groundbreaking for new Gentry bank facility

Photo by Randy Moll Participating in groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facility of the Gentry branch of Arvest Bank on Friday morning were: Linda Gregory (front, left), Michael Shirley, Wanda Meyer, Becca Cross, Kevin Johnston, Floyd Norris, Fred Rosborough, Janice Arnold, Linda Hook, Inez Long, Danny Feemster, Caroline Riggs, Jennifer Xiong, Kevin Clement (back, left), Chari Hillenburg, Tammy Engle, Lori Winesburg, Beth Graves, Roger Holroyd, Kristi Hollaway, Katie Dorsey, Andrea Tun, Amber Knox, Tammy Seitz, Richie Froman, a representative from Oakridge Builders, Lorrie Smith and a representative from Oakridge Builders.
Photo by Randy Moll Participating in groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facility of the Gentry branch of Arvest Bank on Friday morning were: Linda Gregory (front, left), Michael Shirley, Wanda Meyer, Becca Cross, Kevin Johnston, Floyd Norris, Fred Rosborough, Janice Arnold, Linda Hook, Inez Long, Danny Feemster, Caroline Riggs, Jennifer Xiong, Kevin Clement (back, left), Chari Hillenburg, Tammy Engle, Lori Winesburg, Beth Graves, Roger Holroyd, Kristi Hollaway, Katie Dorsey, Andrea Tun, Amber Knox, Tammy Seitz, Richie Froman, a representative from Oakridge Builders, Lorrie Smith and a representative from Oakridge Builders.

GENTRY -- Arvest Bank hosted a ground-breaking ceremony at its bank branch in Gentry on Friday to publicly announce the commencement of construction of a new banking facility on the property.

The new building, which will be similar to the Arvest facility on U.S. Highway 412, across from Walmart in Siloam Springs, will be built just to the east of the current facility at 320 East Main Street in Gentry and provide twice the room as the current facility, including an ATM and easier-to-access drive-up lanes. The current facility will remain open until the new facility is finished and operational and then be torn down to make room for additional parking.

The new facility will be 3,185 square feet and will have an updated layout and look, according to a release from Arvest. The banking facility is expected to cost approximately $1.5 million to build.

Construction is scheduled to begin next Tuesday and is expected to take about seven months, according to Roger Holroyd, Arvest Bank president in Siloam Springs.

"We are so happy to be starting on a new, larger branch for our Gentry community customers," Holroyd said. "This branch allows us to add a community room and doubles the space for our customers. One thing that does not change with our footprint is our focus on community-based banking. This new branch will help us continue the superior customer service for which Arvest is known," he said.

Holroyd said the Gentry branch is a very busy branch of Arvest and the focus on the new facility is to provide better service to the Gentry area customers.

The busyness of the branch, as well as the fact that the bank already owns the Main Street property, were likely important factors in the decision to keep the branch on Gentry's Main Street.

Many had concerns for the large sycamore tree on the front of the property, a tree which was in photographs of the Elberta Hotel on Gentry's Main Street close to 100 years ago. And the tree will remain.

"Arvest is also pleased that we were able to respond to the community's concern for the large sycamore tree at the corner of the property," said Holroyd. "We are incorporating the tree into the landscaping plan; it will be a focal point for the town and for Arvest," he said.

The building which currently houses the Gentry branch of Arvest Bank first opened on July 26, 1966, and was originally built as the Bratt-Wasson Bank. First National Bank bought Bratt-Wasson and, later, Arvest Bank purchased First National Bank.

According to the Arvest release, Arvest Bank has added more than 30 new locations, either by acquisition or construction, in the past year. The bank continues to focus on service to customers where they live and work.

Arvest Bank operates more than 260 bank branches through a network of 16 locally-managed banks in more than 120 communities in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.

General News on 05/21/2014