Center gets ATM
Published Saturday, November 22, 2008
NATCHEZ — The Natchez Convention Center and the Country Inn and Suites just got a new addition — an ATM machine.
Convention Center Director Walter Tipton said the machines were installed Wednesday but are not yet operational.
The purpose of the machines is response to a need, Tipton said.
“We have a lot of people, of course, that come front out of town and they’re in the convention center for a conference and they need cash, so this is just a service,” he said.
He said the nearest ATM, Regions Bank, is two blocks away and it’s a drive up machine. The closest walk up ATM is at Britton and Koontz, and that’s three blocks away.
The machines that have been installed are from United Mississippi Bank.
Adrian Sandel, UMB’s vice president of retail delivery, said the placement makes good sense.
“We didn’t have an ATM at our downtown branch,” he said. “The other banks downtown have ATMs for their customers and it’s obviously better for your customer to use their bank’s ATM.”
He said the choice was either add a machine at the downtown branch or put one at the convention center and hotel.
With both areas being heavily trafficked, Sandel said the latter option was better.
“You have to think of convention eaters that will be on site and may have the need to get some quick cash,” he said.
Tipton said all expenses from installation and maintenance are incurred by UMB.
The convention center and hotel’s management group will receive a portion of the revenues generated by the $2 foreign transaction fee.
“We know it’s a good service, we know it’s a good bank and since we don’t have any up-front investment on installing it. It’s all going to be a profit to us,” Tipton said.
He said he’s not sure how substantial the revenue will be, but they’ll take anything.
All funds collected from this will be deposited into the budget that goes toward operating the center.
Tipton said the process began last spring when the idea was introduced to the board of aldermen.
It then went through the preservation commission process since the ATM at the convention center is on the exterior of the building.