The Cedar Plaza branch of Sound Community Bank in Mountlake Terrace is using an idea that they hope will make a big splash with customers.

A 6-foot pool cleaning pole is being used by bank employees to deliver cash, receipts and other paperwork to customers who get stuck in long lines that sometimes develop at the bank’s drive-through window.

The reason for using the pool cleaner pole stems around government directives to practice social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re still trying to maintain that 6-foot distance and so to help us out I went ahead a purchased that pool cleaner, which is lightweight, has a little bit of a dip (in the netting) so the paperwork or the money in the envelope can sit on top there without being blown away,” said Branch Manager Jeanette Davelaar.

In an effort to limit face-to-face interactions, the bank branch shortened its lobby hours of operation and is now seeing more traffic at the drive-through window. “At times we have a lot of cars,” Davelaar stated, “(sometimes) piled eight cars deep.”

While the pool cleaning pole is utilized to keep bank employees and drivers 6 feet apart, it isn’t capable of handling every task. A sturdier pole, one used to open skylights and reach high blinds in the branch, has to be put into use for heavier bank deposits or withdrawals.

“That one is a little bit better for anyone wanting any coins,” Davelaar explained. “We put the coins in a bag and we put (the bag) on the hook and then we reach it out to them just to keep the 6-foot distance.”

The poles have been used at the Sound Community Cedar Plaza branch for a few days now; Davelaar hopes the bank’s other branches soon dive into the idea. 

“This I think will help out our other (branches) who might have some curbside assistance,” she said. “They could go out and buy a pool cleaner.”

— By Doug Petrowski