BASS RIVER - This village's only financial institution is now closed.
After operating for more than 20 years, the Bass River branch of the Community Credit Union closed its doors on Friday, despite valiant efforts by a local citizens group to keep the facility open.
"I think that the members of this branch and the community members should be commended for the effort they put into trying to keep it open," said Valerie Meredith, chairwoman of the community group that worked to keep the branch operating.
Credit union officials cited a long history of financial losses at the branch as its reason for the shutdown.
Despite a recent meeting with the board that saw about 250 community members come out in support of keeping the branch open, officials stuck to the Sept. 30 closing date which had been set months earlier.
"People were more than willing to try to do whatever they could to keep this branch open," Meredith said. "But it certainly makes the members and the community feel that the credit union board and the management were not willing at all. People are feeling now, that, were they really taking us seriously or were they pacifiers coming out here to Bass River for the meeting," she said, of board officials.
Following the meeting Meredith said the community received a letter from the board saying that not enough people had turned out to support the effort and they did not believe the community could provide the financial support required to make it feasible to keep the branch open.
"So it just makes us feel, you know, that they really weren't willing all along to play ball, that they were just trying to string us along until we got to September 30th," Meredith said.
But she said there are no regrets for having tried.
"I don't feel my time was wasted. Anything done for the benefit of the community is not a waste."
A spokesman for the credit union did not return a call from the Truro Daily News on Monday.
