Wachovia bank has scheduled a grand opening Saturday for its new branch in Flowery Branch at 4706 Hog Mountain Road in the new Stonebridge Village shopping mall, the company’s eighth branch in the greater Gainesville area.

The branch includes "green" features to save water and energy, the first envelope-free ATMs in north Georgia and the new Wells Fargo floor layout, reflecting the recent Wachovia-Wells Fargo merger.

"Our signs still say Wachovia, but this signals the arrival of Wells Fargo in North Georgia," said Glen Kelley, community bank president.

A grand opening event is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, including a $10,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity of Hall County along with refreshments, giveaways and children’s activities.

The branch is the first in North Georgia to have Wells Fargo’s environmentally-friendly ATMs that can accept stacks of cash or checks without envelopes. The ATMs accept up to 50 bills of any value and up to 30 checks and can even sell postage stamps. In parts of the country, the new ATMs have saved an estimated 255 tons of paper or the equivalent of 4,284 trees.

The 4,000 square-foot store includes six teller lanes, four drive-through lanes, one walk-up ATM and one drive-through ATM.

The branch will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.