Rockville Bank Moving into Horton's Space While Building New Branch

Rockville Bank hopes it can have a temporary branch set up and running at the old Tim Horton's coffee and doughnut shop on Route 30 by the end of the month.

It will be a substitute for the Lafayette branch while plans move forward to construct a new one.

''It's a good location, close to the Lafayette branch, and it will allow us to serve our customers while the new branch is being constructed,'' said Rick Trachimowicz, Rockville Bank's executive vice president, on Thursday.

It might also be a popular one with commuters trying to access Interstate 84 at exit 67.

The Bank has had a branch at 20 Hyde Ave. (state Route 30) near the Lafayette shopping plaza and the Tolland line, for years, but this winter, it became one of the first commercial casualties of heavy snowfall and subsequent ice buildup.

''It was the first really big storm in early January, we remember it well,''  Trachimowicz said.

He said the bank barely had plans in place to begin removing snow and ice from the building's roof when staff members reported hearing ''noises'' coming from the roof area. An inspection uncovered ''compromised'' trusses,  Trachimowicz said.

The building was then closed and an inspection ordered.

''We tried to mitigate the snow and ice as best we could, but the focus has to be on our staff and customers, so we shut the branch down,''   Trachimowicz said. ''We have to put safety first.''

As the inspection grew more detailed, more damaged trusses were discovered, which dashed any hopes of reopening the branch permanently. Instead, it was closed for good and plans were drawn up to replace it.

The bank owns the 20 Hyde Ave. property and will be leasing the old Horton's building during construction. The Canadian chain had its Vernon location on a closure list for some time and locked the doors in November.  It is just down the road from the bank branch.

By new industry standards, the Lafayette branch was outdated and was even considered tight as far as work and customer space are concerned, Trachimowicz said. The new branch will not only allow the staff to spread out, but offer things like Internet kiosks and a coffee station for customers, Trachimowicz said.

Plans are currently being reviewed by local regulatory agencies and the bank hopes to have the new branch finished in September.  

No one lost a job as a result of the closure, Trachimowicz said. The eight staff members were reassigned to other branches or special projects when the Lafayette branch was closed and will return when the new branch opens, he said.

He was not sure if the bank would be serving doughnuts at the temporary location.