Kaw Valley State Bank will soon bring a new service to downtown Eudora.
Plans for a drive-thru ATM are underway at the Main Street bank with plans to open in the middle of February. This will be the first drive-up ATM for downtown.
Bank President Jason Hoover said after years of having the ATM on Church Street, the bank has seen how much more traffic and convenience it’s brought customers.
“I think the service just acts – especially to downtown becoming more busier and vibrant – it just gives them access to cash if needed in a safer, convenient way,” Hoover said.
The ease of access for customers to stay in their vehicles also allows for more security when using the machine, customer service coordinator Grant High said. This was something brought to his attention when the Church Street location was closed due to a break in last July.
The new location will also help with energy conservation since the bank will no longer have to heat and cool the small building the ATM is currently in, High said.
The majority of ATMs are now drive-up, too, which is a result of changing consumer habits, High said.
Once the new ATM is installed, the walk-up one will be removed from the building until a demolition date is determined.
To install the ATM, High had to do some electrical work underground to get the drive-thru ready. It took some retrofitting since the existing drive-thru is about 50 years old now, he said.
High’s electrical knowledge drawn from his father proved helpful, and he was able to complete that work himself.
“I’m the oldest, so growing up I got stuck being an apprentice on all those electrical jobs,” he said.
The work on the bank’s side is done, so they are waiting to hear back from the system provider that everything is ready to go. The company that the bank is purchasing the ATM from is ready to install when that process is complete, High said.
“I think it demonstrates to the community our continued commitment to the downtown area and our commitment to helping revive downtown and brand new services that are often overlooked,” High said.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
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