The First National Bank of Walker building in Jenkins has been split in two, is being loaded onto trucks and will begin its two-day journey to its new home in Baxter on Tuesday, Sept. 23, weather permitting.
After the move and some remodeling, the building will reopen in Baxter as a Lakes State Bank branch office.
The building is being loaded onto two large trucks that will only be able to travel at around 8 mph. The trucks are scheduled to leave Jenkins on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, traveling south on Highway 371 to the stoplights at County Road 16.
Because the loads won't fit under the Paul Bunyan Trail overpass on Highway 371 in Pequot Lakes, the trucks are scheduled to travel County Road 16 to Old Highway 371/County Road 112 through Pequot Lakes. The trucks will turn onto County Road 11 to Breezy Point before continuing the trip south on County Roads 4 and 3 to Merrifield, where the trucks will park overnight.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, the journey is to continue to Wise Road, west to Highway 371 and south to Clearwater Road in Baxter and the building's new location.
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Jay Cline, First National Bank vice president, said the route is still being finalized, and the day of the move is weather-dependent.
Besides slow travel, the move will result in power outages Tuesday, Sept. 23, for Minnesota Power customers in the Jenkins and Pequot Lakes areas, as well as approximately 500 Crow Wing Power accounts.
Rolling outages are scheduled to occur from 7:30-9:30 a.m. in Jenkins and from 9-11:30 a.m. for customers on the north side of Main Street in Pequot Lakes, meaning crews will take down power lines and put them back up in segments - restoring power to customers - as the trucks pass through.
"We'll be dropping overhead lines as needed as the trucks go by, and as we put the line back up we'll restore power to customers on that line," said Kelly Eldien, Minnesota Power senior communications specialist.
The outages will not affect Pequot Lakes School, Eldien said, noting a generator will support the city's wastewater treatment plant to keep water running and bathrooms functioning.
The Jenkins branch of First National Bank of Walker closed July 11 and its three employees, including Cline, now work at Lakes State Bank in Pequot Lakes.
Walker Banco, the holding company that owns First National Bank of Walker and Lakes State Bank, decided the Jenkins branch would be better used in Baxter as a Lakes State Bank branch.
The banks entered into an interbank customer service agreement, so Jenkins branch customers have been able to conduct their banking at the Pequot Lakes office of Lakes State Bank. Those customers also may continue to bank at any other First National Bank of Walker offices, including in Backus, Walker, Hackensack, Longville, Remer and Akeley.
