TAMPA, Fla. -- In November, 10 News showed you how, with a lot of sweat and hard work, a formerly vacant 1924 firehouse in the V.M. Ybor area was turned into a bomb operations center for the Tampa Police Department.
Bomb squads from law enforcement agencies across the country heading to town for the Republican National Convention now have a place to train together.
The RNC is being held in Tampa from Aug. 27-Aug. 30.
Sergeant Jarrett Seal said back then, "[The new building is] not only for the RNC coming up, but for day-to-day operations."
The effort was made possible through the hard work of retired and off-duty officers, along with community organizations and Bay area businesses. It took about a year and was paid for mostly through community donations. Only one percent came from taxpayer dollars.
Now a similar project is underway -- an extreme makeover of sorts -- is being held at Tampa Police Headquarters in Downtown Tampa at 411 N. Franklin Street.
Laura McElroy is a spokesperson for the police department and says, "The building was originally the Sun Bank built in 1938. TPD moved into this building in Dec. 1997. Most of it was never updated. The carpet, chairs, and curtains in the conference room are at least 110 years old."
But, she adds, "We would never spend tax dollars on trying to make our place look better."
Now the police department doesn't have to thanks to community partners by way of Bay area businesses. Jeremy Shapiro is a project manager for High Impact Glass Solutions. His company is donating thousands of dollars in labor and supplies.
Shapiro says, "Any time you get an opportunity to do something for the Tampa Police Department, you know you just have to do it, really. We're working with a group of people who are fantastic and just to be a part of it is an honor."
McElroy adds, "It's an old building. It's outdated. We don't pay much attention to it. We're just doing our jobs on a daily basis, but when they came in from the outside and said, 'We can make this better, all eyes are going to be on Tampa for the RNC. Let's have an image that shows that to the nation.'"
She says crews are in the process of making over one of their conference rooms. She explains, "The community room is the space where detectives can interview victims or witnesses in a professional, but more comfortable, setting. We will also use it for community meetings where we want a more relaxed setting than a conference table."
The media center will also be updated.
Jack Glasure, a marketing executive with Ignition Branding -- a Tampa based branding, advertising, and public relations firm -- says, "We've come up with a fantastic design from Studio M Interior Design led by project manager Eric Miller, who has generously donated a budget-conscious and effective design."
He adds, "We have a plan and we're going to implement it in the next month or so."
He says they still need local companies to donate items like furniture, lamps, carpet, wall and window treatments, paint, and other items.
If you would like to donate money, services, or items, contact Jack Glasure at 813-356-0556 or click here.