By Ruth Melville

As part of a strategic plan to renovate all their branches, the National Iron Bank in Norfolk has spent the past six months refurbishing its building on Station Place. With the internal demolition and reconstruction mostly completed, attention has now shifted to exterior work, and the grand reopening is scheduled for July 20.

The Norfolk bank building was erected in 1967, and for the past 50 years only cosmetic updates have been made to the offices. Most of the current changes are to create a more open and welcoming floor plan. The new glass-enclosed entryway has been designed to be less bulky than its predecessor, but also able to block out the weather better.

The teller line counter has been removed, again to open up space. “Norfolk is such an inviting town,” says Brock Wehry, the Norfolk branch manager, and “we wanted to reflect that openness in our building.” There is also a new kitchenette area at the back for the four staff members to use. The upstairs room, which the bank often loans to town groups for meetings or other activities, remains unchanged.

The ATM has been moved to the rear of the building to make room for more office and conference space. Wehry knows that many of the bank’s patrons were unhappy with the new location last winter, but he promises that they are making adjustments to make it safer and easier to use. Lights and cameras will be installed, and the overhang has been extended (no more icy rain down the back of your neck while withdrawing your cash). The drive is being widened to make it easier to maneuver and to pass vehicles waiting at the ATM.

National Iron Bank is a local institution, with all four of its branches (five, counting a new loan office in Litchfield) located in northwestern Connecticut. Brock Wehry has been the Norfolk branch manager for the past year and a half, having taken over from Jennie Rackliffe. Wehry says that the National Iron Bank is “a true community bank” and adds that they try to greet every patron by name.

But “a community bank is only as strong as the community that supports it,” Wehry points out, and he lists some of the events and organizations the bank has encouraged—whether by sponsorships, formal loans or donated staff time—over the years: the Classic Community Car Show, Weekend in Norfolk, the Historical Society, the library, and Rails to Trails, to name a few. “We want to reinvest our money in the community we live in,” he says.

In addition, the bank encourages local artists, Leslie Watkins and Karen Rossi, for example, by displaying their work in the teller area; and Catie Dougan, regional manager and vice president of the bank, has served on the boards of the Foundation for Norfolk Living and the Norfolk Foundation.

The reopening party, which will be catered by Wood Creek Bar & Grill, is Friday, July 20, from 1 to 5 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to come take a look at the new space, and there will be a variety of events and activities, including face painting for kids and a popcorn machine.

Photo, top, by Bruce Frisch: Brock Wehry, branch manager of Norfolk’s National Iron Bank, welcomes customers to the bank’s new open floor plan.