The once-isolated community of Coral Bay took another step into urban America Tuesday afternoon as its first automated teller machine started dispensing money on authorized demand.
Located just inside the fire truck stall in the lower parking lot of the Fire Services station, the ATM is available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers driving up have park their vehicles about 40 feet from the machine, but the area is well lighted and firefighters are on duty at all times at the station, assistant fire chief Brian Chapman said.
Chapman was instrumental in getting the device installed at the location. "When I saw that it looked like they were going to be approved by the Legislature, I called the company," he said. "I explained it would be the only place viable for 24 hours in Coral Bay. We weren't guaranteeing security, but we are there for 24 hours."
The machine is one of the non-bank ATMs proliferating in the territory since the government authorized their operation earlier this year. It's owned by Caribbean Exchange Enterprise, the only locally licensed provider at present.
ATM's allow customers to make cash withdrawals using major credit cards or recognized bank debit cards. The non-bank ATMs, which are regulated by the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department, charge a fee for each "card swipe" transaction.
Caribbean Exchange owner Frank Nassetta admits that when Chapman approached the company, "we were a bit skeptical" about setting up operations at a fire station. But he came to see it as a "creative solution" to the Coral Bay community's needs.
When company officials expressed concern about exposure to the elements, Chapman went to so far as to put up a wall to protect the machine from driving rain. He noted that the location is convenient for boaters as well land residents and visitors on St. John's east end.
The ceremonial inauguration of the machine had been set for Monday afternoon, but the Caribbean Exchange official who showed up with the money to be placed in the device neglected to bring the key to open it. On Tuesday, all went as planned, and Chapman, who is based at the Cruz Bay fire station but lives in Coral Bay, said he tried it out later Tuesday. Not only did he get the requested cash, he said; the receipt "showed a bigger balance that I thought" in his bank account.
Although the fire station ATM is the first in Coral Bay, Caribbean Exchange already put five others in operation as well on St. John this week. Three are at resorts and two are in Cruz Bay. The company has also installed 18 machines on St. Thomas and 15 on St. Croix.
Caribbean Exchange Enterprise is an affiliate of The Credit Card Center, which has operations throughout the mainland United States and Canada. According to a press release, the Credit Card Center is "the largest process provider for ATM's."
Editor's note: For further information about St. John's ATMs, see Business/St. John.
