The old City Hall building in Jemison will be torn down to make room for Marion Bank and Trust, after the City Council approved the sale of the building during its most recent meeting.

“Jemison is part of our strategic plan,” said Marion Bank and Trust Vice President Brad Jackson. “We’ve identified the town as a growing community that we can be a part of.”

According to Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed, the city had to keep up with the maintenance and utilities throughout the time that the building has been empty, and the sale made financial sense.

“We did not just sell the building,” Reed said. “We sold it to a new business that continues to show the growth of Jemison.”

Jackson is quite familiar with the Jemison community, having graduated from Jemison High School.

“Our bank is built on relationships,” Jackson said.

Initial plans were to renovate the old City Hall building, but after a further look Marion Bank and Trust has decided to tear down the structure and start from scratch at the current location.

“We were fortunate to find a location in the heart of Jemison, and we don’t want to go into it halfway,” Jackson said. “We are all in.”

The bank is scheduled to open in January 2017, and will be included in a line of new businesses that will soon call Jemison home, which includes a sandblasting company moving to town from Alabaster.

“We are pro-business here in Jemison,” Reed said. “It’s not about us, it’s about looking out for the future generations by providing jobs and opportunities.”