Full Text:

Savings Bank Plans A Week-Long Celebration

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Newtown Savings Bank's week-long re-opening celebration of its

newly-renovated facility kicks off Monday morning with breakfast. It ends next

Saturday with bagels and bears. In between will be a long list of events, door

prizes and tours of the refurbished building.

The highlight of the week is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon when bank

officials will cut the ribbon, commemorating the completion of the $3.5

million project along Main Street. President John Martocci hopes customers

will enjoy the more service-oriented style of the bank's main branch.

On Monday, NSB will host a business breakfast from 8 to 10 am at which

officials will announce their new business loan feature, "$25K in 25 minutes."

Now that's tough to beat.

Those who show up for Wednesday's ribbon-cutting (5-8 pm) will receive a free

limited edition print of the well-known bank mural. Each print will be

autographed by artist Elizabeth Turner Hall. Among those on hand for the 5:30

pm ribbon-cutting ceremony will be First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and Borough

warden Joan Crick.

Thursday will be "Bankers Happy Hour" when customers can receive a special

rate from 4-6 pm. Also on Thursday, NSB will host a Chamber of Commerce open

house/lunch.

Friday is "Drive-up ATM Extravaganza Day" when customers can win gifts and

receive special interest rate offers. Saturday is "Bagel and Bears" as NSB

will be handing out free giveaways from 9-11 am. Daily raffles will include

gift certificates from Clearwaters Restaurant in Monroe, Newtown Package,

Sippin Fuel, Holcombe Fuel and St Pierre Fuel.

A New-Look Bank

The new-look bank now features a drive-up teller and ATM machine, both of

which opened last week. It also has an express bank for those customers on the

run.

The main banking area (at street level) has been completely renovated and was

opened to the public late last month. NSB now offers an express bank on the

lower level which has been open for business since last spring.

Last spring, the bank opened its new wing on the site of the former church

parsonage just south of the General Store. The new facility provides better

quarters for the bank's board of directors, accounting section, and operations

unit. Fifteen employees have been relocated to the Main Street office. In

addition, the bank has also modernized its infrastructure, including heating,

ventilation and air conditioning, not to mention computer systems. The entire

project substantially added to the tax base of the town, Mr Martocci said.

Bank Vice President Joe Humeston thanked the town for its cooperation and

called the new facility a showpiece for Main Street.

Customers may now expect to be greeted at the door, and those who prefer to do

their banking upstairs will be assisted by tellers who sit at desks. The

atmosphere will be more comfortable, bank officials say. It is expected that

the days of standing in line at Newtown Savings Bank are over. Branch hours

have been extended, too. Bank officials want to provide personal service and

they have designed a building to do that.

"We're a lot bigger than we used to be," Mr Martocci said last spring. "We had

run out of room and needed to accommodate our staff."

These are very good days for the Newtown Savings Bank. The quality and scope

of this project have made that apparent. "We're doing well financially," Mr

Martocci said.

The bank recently purchased the Congregational Church House and its adjoining

5.38 acres in the rear. Its' long-term plan is to renovate that building for

administrative offices. For now, it continues to lease the building to the

church and other groups.

The bank purchased the church house and parsonage for $550,000 in 1996. With

the land it then had the opportunity to build the new wing, add a drive-thru

teller and express bank, and provide improved handicapped accessibility.

This is the fourth major renovation to the Main Street facility since it first

opened in 1909.

The Newtown Savings Bank has seven full-service offices: two in Newtown, two

in Bethel, plus Monroe, Southbury and Woodbury. It has limited service

branches at Ashlar of Newtown and East Hill Woods in Southbury.