Erath County approves construction for joint 911 dispatch center; $3.6 million contract shared with Stephenville

Erath County Commissioners on Monday approved the contract addendum and steps to begin construction on a joint 9-1-1 dispatch and emergency operations center, accepting a construction price that came in just under $3.6 million and agreeing to split the cost with the City of Stephenville.

The contract amount presented by McKinstry totaled $3,599,829, with a $50,000 contingency added; the county and the city will each cover half of that sum, presenters said. Gabriela Frio, who represented McKinstry, told the court the firm would move immediately into mobilization and preconstruction if the addendum was approved and, barring delays, construction would start in October with a target of being substantially complete in June.

The project is a full renovation and expansion of an existing county building (formerly a tax office) to house both the dispatch center and an emergency operations center (EOC). Frio described site and interior work that includes a building expansion, new mechanical and electrical systems, access controls and cameras, a natural‑gas backup generator, ADA-compliant walkways, and a covered canopy and secure pass-through box for officers to exchange documents without leaving their vehicles. Frio also listed exclusions and limits: hazardous-materials abatement and the shared upper parking lot regrading are out of McKinstry’s scope, and FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) is not included in the construction contract.

The court voted to approve Addendum 2 to the master service agreement to begin construction work. Commissioner Edwards moved the addendum and Commissioner Stevens seconded; the motion passed with the court saying “aye.” The addendum also reflected budget authority for FF&E and consoles that the county will purchase.

Separately, the court approved going out for bids for dispatch consoles (the operational desks and furniture) so the county can determine exact costs for the consoles and associated technology. Commissioner Ray moved to issue the RFP; Commissioner Edwards seconded and the motion carried.

Frio said the floor plan provides room for up to eight dispatch positions though the county initially anticipates using four positions as the Council of Governments (COG) and other partners complete their technical work. She also said McKinstry coordinated with the county’s tower vendor, IT staff and the COG to avoid downtime of 9-1-1 services during the build.

County staff and members of the Emergency Communications Board — including Communications Director Ms. Anderson and emergency operations staff Mr. Brooks and Bethany Espinosa — participated in the design and review process, commissioners said. The court heard that the project has been under planning for several years and will allow multiple agencies to be dispatched from a single secure facility.

The county’s next steps are to finalize preconstruction details, authorize mobilization, receive bids for consoles and FF&E, and coordinate the on‑site tower work to avoid service interruptions. Frio said the $50,000 contingency, if unused, would be returned to the court for direction at project closeout.

Why this matters: the building will house the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch and EOC functions in a single secure location designed to improve safety for dispatchers and streamline regional emergency communications. The contract approval moves the project from design into construction.