Monday morning, July 10, was a very special day for the employees and customers of Colonial Bank in downtown Luverne.

They celebrated their grand re-opening of the newly renovated bank building.

&#8220We first want to thank all of our customers and our employees for being so patient with us during this time of construction,” Jeff Clark, Colonial Bank president said.

Clark said that the bank had actually been operating in portable trailers for two years and nine months, but that actual construction and renovations began in Jan. of this year.

&#8220We kept having problems with the floor plans fitting the shape of the lot and the topography of the site,” he explained. &#8220But, we really wanted to stay in the downtown area. We didn't want to move anywhere else.”

Seay, Seay & Litchfield, an architectural firm out of Montgomery, did the plans for the bank's new renovations.

Clark said that Colonial Bank now has a totally new drive-thru system, with a canister system that can hold many more items.

&#8220We have also completely remodeled, redesigned and updated our lobby space for other areas of business,” Clark added. &#8220We now have a new office for mortgages, investments, and treasury management.”

There are also two areas of extra office space that are available for rent.

&#8220Another new addition we have is an office that is set up with a computer portal for our mortgage and investment representatives to come in and help our customers on certain days of the week,” he said.

There is also a new board/ conference room with two civic groups already using it as a meeting room, according to Clark.

&#8220We think that the new landscaping also adds to the downtown revitalization project,” Clark continued.

Clark said that the old bank building was using approximately 16,000 square feet and had a lot of unused space.

&#8220We now have everything in an 8,000 square-foot space, so things are arranged much more efficiently,” he said. &#8220It's going to be much more convenient for our customers as well as our employees.”