Residents sign petition for new bank in Holley
Photo by Kristina Gabalski: The former First Niagara Bank sits empty in a prominent spot of the Public Square in Holley.
HOLLEY – There has been “quite a response” to a petition in support of an effort to bring a new bank to the Village of Holley.
Holley Village Clerk Deborah Schiavone said two pages of the petition at the village offices are full (there are about 30 signatures per page). Local businesses have the petition available and they have requested more pages as the ones they have fill up. Schiavone said she planned to get petition sheets to the Town of Clarendon offices this week.
The First Niagara branch in Holley closed this past October as part of a consolidation by Key Bank. Prior to the closing, local officials made a concerted effort to convince KeyBank to keep the Holley First Niagara branch open.
Those stakeholders included officials from the Towns of Kendall, Murray, Clarendon, the Village of Holley, the Holley Central School District, the Kendall Central School District, the Holley Community Free Library and the Holley Joint Fire District.
That effort didn’t sway KeyBank, but the local group is now focusing on finding another bank to take up residence at the Public Square site.
Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller has been working to reach out to players in the marketplace.
“It’s a very important issue,” he said of bringing a bank back to the community. “We are all trying our best to bring some kind of banking opportunity to Holley.”
DeRoller said that might come in the in the form of anything from full service banking to an ATM.
“We believe there is an opportunity here,” he said, while noting, “banking has changed.”
The former First Niagara branch building has everything necessary for full-service banking, including safety deposit boxes and a safe, but DeRoller said he is finding that the footprint of the building is considered large.
He said it is important that the community makes it clear through signing the petition, that they want banking opportunities in Holley and that they will make use of the service if an interested bank is found.
“You’ve got to use it or lose it,” DeRoller said. “We still have hope (of finding a new bank) if people step up and sign those petitions.”
In addition to municipal offices in eastern Orleans County, the petition is also available at local businesses.
