Local businesses tackle remodeling jobs
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Improvement is in the air as Hillsboro businesses look to remodel existing buildings as well as completely renovate new ones.
Starting this week at Alco, things may get a little chaotic as the store embarks on a project that will change the entire layout of the discount store. The bulk of the work officially begins Feb. 5, said Ron Latta, manager of Alco.
Although the store's exterior won't change, the interior layout of the store will be altered to accommodate some new departments. Some of the existing departments will be expanded while some departments are downsized, Latta said.
A major emphasis of the remodel is an expansion of the food department. Coolers will be added, and the store will begin offering items such as milk and frozen foods, Latta said. The checkout counters will stay where they are now.
Alco plans to hire eight to ten extra workers to help with the transition, which might be difficult as shoppers try to navigate through the shifting remodeling process.
"We'll try to keep it as organized as possible for customers," Latta said.
Alco's parent company is handling all the planning and labor, he said. A crew of workers from the Abilene building will do most of the work.
"It'll look nice when it's all done," Latta said.
The remodeling process at the new Central National Bank branch on North Main is a little more radical. Workers there are completely gutting the building, said Mike Padget, president of Hillsboro's Central National Bank.
No vestiges will be left of the former health club that used to occupy the structure. Only the exterior walls and roof will remain, Padgett said.
Construction crews from Jantz Construction of Tampa are currently putting up stud walls inside for new offices and teller windows, he said. CNB is trying to use local contractors as much as possible.
On the outside, the awning is up, and crews are doing much of the concrete work — pouring footings, curbs, and the basic structure of the future drive-through, Padgett said.
Padgett can't predict whether the interior or the exterior of the building will be completed first. It all depends on the weather, he said.
Work on the bank began in mid-November, and Padgett hopes to have the building completed by the end of May.
The new drive-through, complete with its own drive-through ATM machine, will be a nice convenience for CNB customers, Padgett said.
