ATHOL — Within the next few months, shoppers at the Athol Market Basket won’t have to get cash back at the register if they want more of their money in their pocket.
Work is nearly completed on a Workers Credit Union location in North Quabbin Commons off Route 2, according to WCU Chief Operating Officer Sandra Sagehorn-Elliott. The 2,000-square-foot space is expected to open in July or August. Sagehorn-Elliott said DeMoulas Super Markets Inc., which owns the shopping center, is finishing some of its own work on the space before the credit union adds some final touches.
“We are really excited to open that branch. We’ve got about 4,500 members that live within 5 miles of that branch,” she said. “That area of the state — from Gardner up to Orange — is one where we do really well. People respond really well to the credit union’s message.”
Sagehorn-Elliott said this new location will be Workers Credit Union’s 17th branch. Locations average 3,000 square feet in size, she said. There is also a location at 32 New Athol Road in Orange, having moved in 2008 from 12 North Main St., where the Quabbin Harvest food co-op now sits.
Athol Town Manager Shaun A. Suhoski said the impending location is a great fit for the town.
“Workers Credit Union has longstanding presence and commitment in north-central Massachusetts and we welcome their addition to Athol’s growing community,” he said in a press release.
WCU reported an sharp increase in new accounts at its New Athol Road location last year when TD Bank announced its plans to close its 30 East Main St. branch, which shut its doors in November.
Dawn Marino, the credit union’s branch manager at 32 New Athol Road, had said her bank opened 67 new checking accounts in August and roughly 90 percent of them were started by people who recently left TD Bank. She said some were created by new members and others were started by people who had some type of account at the credit union but had “never brought that full relationship over.”
She said most new members mentioned being unhappy with TD Bank’s decision, which means the only nearby TD Bank location would be 3 miles up the road at 2156 Main St. in Athol.
Sagehorn-Elliott said data from DeMoulas Super Markets Inc. indicates roughly 20,000 vehicles drive by North Quabbin Commons each day. She said this location will be a full-service branch, with an ATM inside and a drive-up ATM on an island outside. She also said WCU expects to hire six employees to accommodate the growth, with the new spot hosting a blend of new and existing employees.
According to Sagehorn-Elliott, the North Quabbin Common branch will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.