BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In April this year at an Arbor Day celebration, the City of Bloomington launched its “Be Beautiful” campaign and at the same time, honored Bloomington for its distinction as a Tree City USA. Aware that the city is conscious of the importance of trees, conservation, green space and environmental care in the Bloomington community, Monroe Bank is trying to accomplish change in an environmentally and aesthetically sensitive manner when it remodels its buildings.

Responding to city’s program to save mature trees that would otherwise be cut down, Monroe Bank is donating a mature Colorado Blue Spruce tree to the City of Bloomington to accommodate the remodeling of its Loan Center on Lincoln Street. A private contractor will be moving the tree on Wednesday, August 23 at 9 a.m. from the Loan Center (Corner of Fourth and Lincoln Streets) and replanting it at the Building Trades Park across from Bloomington Hospital.

"We very much appreciate the Blue Spruce tree that Monroe Bank has generously donated to Building and Trades Park," Mayor Mark Kruzan said. "This is a great example of community collaboration resulting in a more beautiful Bloomington."

According to Lee Huss, Certified Arborist and Urban Forester for the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, hundreds of calls are received each year from people wanting to move trees rather than destroy them. “Moving mature trees is labor intensive and we need to be sure that we can successfully move them,” comments Huss. “We will be taking added precautions in moving the blue spruce due to the heat. Besides needing more water, we will be coating the it with a wilt-proof spray that will encapsulate the needles to prevent moisture loss.”

Monroe Bank’s Loan Center will reopen later this fall once the extensive renovations are complete. The Loan Center will house commercial lenders, mortgage loan officers and consumer loan administration.

Monroe Bancorp, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, is an Indiana bank holding company with Monroe Bank as its wholly owned subsidiary. Monroe Bank was established in Bloomington in 1892 and offers a full range of financial, trust and investment services through its 17 offices in Central and South Central Indiana. The Company's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Stock Market under the symbol MROE.

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