Although clients of the Barrydowne Branch of the Sudbury Credit Union have had access to the branch's beautifully revamped facility since June, its grand reopening was held Thursday.
Sudbury Credit Union CEO Mimi Regimbal Wiseman said they couldn't hold the grand reopening in the summer months because of vacations.
So management decided to hold the celebration, which included speeches and a ribbon-cutting, off to Oct. 20, which is International Credit Union Day. “What better way to celebrate it?” she said.
The credit union has had a branch at 1048 BarryDowne Rd. since the 1990s, but it was starting to look dated, and there were also structural issues such as a heaving floor and poor insulation.
Renovations started in the early spring of 2015. The building was completely gutted and rebuilt, inside and out.
“Now we're hoping to save money on heating costs,” Wiseman said. “We've gone to in-floor heating and we're insulated from top to bottom. So it's going to be a much more efficient building for us.”
She also said the branch is much more inviting now, with an open concept, a fireplace and coffee and tea available.
“We're very pleased with how it turned out,” Wiseman said, adding that not a lot of financial institutions are investing in “bricks and mortar” these days. She said the credit union hired local contractors to do the work.
During the renovations, Sudbury Credit Union operated in New Sudbury out of the former Northridge Savings Credit Union location on Lasalle.
The Barrydowne branch is one of seven the credit union operates in the Sudbury area. Its head office is in Copper Cliff.
Sudbury Credit Union has 16,000 memberships, although some of those memberships represent families or couples.
Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer was on hand for the branch's grand reopening. He said the refurbishments will be good for economic development in his ward.
“It's really a nice touch to the banking business,” he said. “I've been in the building before, and the enhancements they've made in here will certainly make it more people-friendly and better to serve their clientele.”
