Renovations underway at West Woods
More than 300 children and family members visited the Pflugerville Public Library last week for a day of science fun. The experiments for students in kindergarten through eighth grade were provided by the Austin Community College Physics Department’s Hands on Science outreach program. The show will visit the Round Rock Public Library on Friday from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The event is free.
Customers of businesses in the West Woods shopping center at Bee Cave Road and Walsh Tarlton Lane will notice some difficulty entering some businesses now that improvements are underway.
James Kahler, senior vice president for First Washington Realty Inc., said the center is being renovated to keep up with the times and “elevate it to fit the community.”
Kahler, based in Bethesda, Md., said renovations are expected to continue for “a few months,” but he declined to comment on the scope of the project.
Chain-link fencing has separated the areas where the work will take place, and customers are rerouted to some businesses through passageways.
Erin Friedrichs, a hostess at Las Palomas restaurant, said patrons can expect only a slight inconvenience.
“Customers will have to go through a construction walkway while work is being done” to get to the restaurant, Friedrichs said.
Cesar Chavira, an assistant manager for Las Palomas, was optimistic that his customers will not be dissuaded by the inconvenience.
“Most of our clientele are regulars,” Chavira said. “We’ve experienced 9 percent growth this year, but it’s summer, so we’ll be able to tell more on weekends, if business drops off ” because of the fencing.
Chavira said he was told the work will include new lighting in the whole complex, stone columns will be replaced with stucco and awnings will be removed. He also said it is his understanding that ramps would be rebuilt to be in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Because some customers might think the restaurant is closed, he said Las Palomas has placed signs reading, “Pardon our dust. We’re open during construction.”
City permits show that the complex owners are planning a renovation of the façade and work on the electrical systems.
Some residents thought the U.S. Post Office was closed because an entrance was not visible and it was hard to access. However, there is an entrance close to Petco.
Other parts of the complex will be renovated in phases.
Neither the construction company nor city officials responded to queries about the specific work to be performed. Other businesses were contacted but declined to comment.