Demolition of GPD building is under way

A couple walks past as an excavator works to demolish the former Gainesville Police Department headquarters on Thursday.

The official demolition of the Gainesville Police Department Headquarters began Thursday morning.

The building, at 721 NW Sixth St., is being razed to make way for a brand new facility. According to GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias, senior members of GPD including Chief Tony Jones were on hand to see the first bricks fall.

It was actually quite emotional for the officers that watched the first strikes of the excavator, Tobias said. There are a lot of memories from that building. A lot of us were sworn into service inside the old station, but now were one step closer to making new memories in a new building.

Originally, a renovation was planned and began in late 2010, but code compliance and asbestos issues made a complete demolition and rebuild more cost-effective.

The building has been vacant since then, and Chief Jones said hes felt the impact of the displacement.

Our police officers and staff have been displaced for over 2 years, and they had to look at the old building just sitting there empty, Jones said. Now we all can see progress towards a brand new building for both us and the community. Now its real. Now its tangible.

The demolition should take about four weeks, Tobias said, with the site prep for new construction to follow.

The Gilbane Building Company is overseeing the construction, and Cross Construction is handling the demolition.

According to Tobias, Gilbanes Project Executive Joe Frisco said safety and being good neighbors will be the top priority as the project moves forward.

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Demolition of GPD building is under way