by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Collegeville Community Credit Union will likely buy the historical building that houses St. Joseph’s city hall and police station. This was announced at a city-council meeting April 20.
The credit union presented a purchase agreement for the existing city hall and police station at 25 College Ave. N. and plans to turn the building into the credit union’s new headquarters.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” Collegeville Community Credit Union Pete Hacker said in a statement. “While our roots are in Collegeville, almost 75 percent of our membership base is now from St. Joseph and surrounding areas.”
Collegeville Community Credit Union – now in its 79th year – has locations on Fruit Farm Road and in the Sexton Commons at St. John’s University in Collegeville.
“We want to grow and be viable for all our members,” Hacker said. “To do this, we need to be in a location that sees higher daily traffic, is more visible, and where we can welcome new members to bank with us.”
The credit union hopes to maintain the integrity of the exterior of the building while remodeling and updating the interior for its own use.
Pending the sale approval, a 2017 move is planned after the construction of an 18,000-square-foot government center is completed.
The new government center will provide more space for the police department and city administration and may someday be connected to nearby Colts Academy, which is slated to be converted into a community center.
The estimated cost to build the new government center, which will include a public community room, is about $4.8 million and it could open as soon as February.
