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Farmers breaks ground for banking facility in Howland
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John Gulas, president and CEO of Farmers National Banc Corp. presented a $2,000 donation to Dave Lewis for the Howland Community Scholarship Foundation in memory of Annie Lee. Annie was struck by a vehicle Aug. 16, 2004, at U.S. Route 422 and North Road in Niles, leaving her a quadriplegic. She died in 2006. She was 13.
By Karl Henkel
HOWLAND
Township residents and Farmers National Banc Corp. customers soon won’t have to drive as far for their banking needs.
The Canfield-based bank broke ground Wednesday on a $1.6 million, 8,000-square-foot facility that will be part bank, part trust company.
“We see it [Howland] as an important part of the Valley,” said John Gulas, president and CEO of Farmers. “These are the types of people who really embrace the relationship approach of banks.”
The new building will be located just south of North River Road on Niles- Cortland Road and will be a part of Harvard Commons.
Currently, the closest Farmers banking location to Howland is at 5845 Youngstown-Warren Road in Niles.
The building should be completed in about six months, said Dave Harris, principal architect at Canfield-based DPH Architecture.
The bank will feature five teller stations, three drive-through lanes and a 24-hour ATM.
Gulas said it could house as many as 30 employees, many on the banking side, but also as many as 10 from the trust company currently located in Harvard Commons.
It’s the first constructed Farmers branch since it opened its Poland location in 1998.
Farmers also announced Wednesday a $2,000 donation to the Howland Community Scholarship Fund in memory of Annie Lee.
Annie was struck by a vehicle Aug. 16, 2004, at U.S. Route 422 and North Road in Niles, leaving her a quadriplegic.
She had been walking with her grandmother and brother, who were not badly injured.
She died at age 13 in October 2006 in Cleveland, where she was being treated for a brain infection.