McKinstry outlines design‑build plan for new Erath County joint dispatch center, targets June 2026 completion

McKinstry project staff presented a 30% schematic design and a wide-range budget estimate on May 27 to the Erath County Commissioners Court for a joint emergency operations center and dispatch facility to be built from the county's former tax office.

The presentation said the county will use the design‑build delivery method allowed under Local Government Code 2269 and that McKinstry’s role as design‑builder is to develop a realistic, transparent budget and to reduce late-stage unknowns by coordinating architects, engineers and construction teams early. Walter Wills, project director for McKinstry, said he is overseeing the project from development through construction.

Why it matters: the project is intended to consolidate emergency operations and 24‑hour dispatch functions into a hardened facility and to improve safety, security and resilience for county emergency staff.

McKinstry said the existing building shell — a former tax office built with poured…