HART Renovates Operations Facility, Tampa

HART has begun work on the first full renovation to its Operations Facility.

Located at 4305 E. 21st Ave. in Tampa, the HART headquarters will undergo a $4.6 million renovation project, adding approximately 10,000 square feet to the current 17,000-square-foot building.

“As time has gone on, we've always done things to accommodate to the growing needs of HART, but we've never really done a full renovation of the building,” says Project Manager Bob Atack. “It's time to update the building: It's undersized and definitely not the most inviting place to work.”

With the building being more than 40 years old and HART occupying it for the last 30 years, operations have grown in size to a point that temporary facilities, such as trailers, are now required on-site.

Apart from more space, the renovations will make green updates to the building in the form of windows for natural lighting and solar power, as well as new plumbing, LED lighting, water conserving fixtures and a recycling system. HART will also expand dispatch and operations offices and add a 3,000-square-foot conference room for training and public use.

“Basically, we're creating a building that accommodates our needs, is flexible in design, is energy efficient and is completely updated,” says Atack. “The renovations, as a whole, will benefit a lot of people -- the HART employees that have to work there, the public that comes to visit and the operators that have to report to it.”

Currently, the 24-hour operations facility dispatches more than 300 bus and van drivers every day with buses rolling out at 4 a.m. and returning at 1 a.m. on weekdays. One of the fully federally funded project's goals is to make residents aware of home base operations, bringing HART, its employees and its services to the forefront of Hillsborough County.

Construction on the project is expected to see completion by the summer of 2012. Upon completion, HART will apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, saving approximately 30 percent in utilities annually. The Operations Facility is closed to the public until further notice.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Bob Atack, HART