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August 5, 2005
Beatty Bank of America to remain
By RICHARD STEPHENS
Local bank manager Kay Handy was out of state on vacation July 20 when the word came from a bank official in Las Vegas, but teller coordinator Polly Church quickly telephoned her with the news. Handy, who is very involved in the community including serving on the town and water boards, grew up and went to school in Beatty, and had vowed to work as many jobs as it took to be able to stay in her home town when the bank closed. "She was excited," said the ecstatic employees who celebrated with cupcakes. Church joked, "At least we have a really clean banking center," referring to the backroom cleaning the crew had done in anticipation of the closure. Bank of America media representative Diane Wagner said that the company regularly evaluates their banking facilities. She said that a recent evaluation had shown that closure of the branch "would leave our customers and the community without a convenient and reasonable banking alternative," and that they wanted to continue to serve their customers and the community. What Wagner did not mention were the significant lobbying efforts on the part of Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Nye County itself to persuade the bank to keep the branch open. Earlier this month, Gibbons met with bank officials in Las Vegas on behalf of Beatty, Pioche, and Virginia City, whose branches were slated for closure. He has since published a press release applauding the bank's decision to keep these branches open. Nye County Economic Development Director Ann Barron provided further insight into the decision. Barron secured the help of a non-profit group that specializes in dealing with banking issues, and they also met with bank officials, informing them of the hardship a lack of a bank would impose on Beatty and Amargosa residents and on economic development efforts in the area. Barron said they told the bank of economic development projects currently under way, including the "promising" prospect of a proposed renewable energy project. She suggested that people who have moved to the area, and who already bank with Bank of America, should check to make certain their accounts have actually been moved to the local branch. She cited the example of one Amargosa resident who thought her account was in Beatty because she had requested the move, but later discovered that it was actually still in Las Vegas. The Beatty bank is unusual in that it is located in what was formerly a home. Small-framed historical photographs of Beatty are displayed on a shelf next to the fireplace in the lobby, which was once a living room. It would also help, of course, if local residents and businesses that might be banking elsewhere would move their accounts to the Beatty branch. |
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