Harris County Emergency Services District No. 11 commissioners at their March 17 meeting approved a $925,000 payment to J.E. Dunn Construction Company as the contractor nears completion of the roughly $20 million first phase of construction of the district’s new 43-acre headquarters.

Once completed, the campus—located at 18334 Stuebner Airline Road, Spring—will house the district’s main administration building as well as ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare’s 911 call center, ambulance deployment center, fleet maintenance facility and car wash.

At the meeting, Commissioner Robert Pinard suggested withholding the payment to J.E. Dunn until the first phase of construction was complete, following what he said has been months of delays and oversights.

"It's not been done on time; it's not been done right," Pinard said. "It's been a joke."


The first phase of construction—which includes ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare’s new 911 call center, billing center, and fleet maintenance and deployment facilities—was scheduled to be completed by August of last year. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare officials have attributed the delays to difficulties obtaining supplies and materials resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.


Pinard brought up a list of issues he said have risen throughout the construction process, including an air conditioning unit that was mistakenly built on a sidewalk, garage doors that would not open and a payment related to relocation fees he said the district has not received.

“If it were up to me, [J.E. Dunn] wouldn’t be on the job anymore; that’s how bad it’s been to me,” Pinard said. “This has been oversight after oversight. ... I’m tired of hearing about COVID[-19]. I’m tired of hearing about supply chain [issues].”

Pinard said withholding the payment would motivate the contractor to finish the first phase of construction more quickly.

“It will keep these people motivated to get the work done on time,” he said. “Trust me, we’ve waited long enough, and we’ve paid enough.”


However, Commissioner Kevin Brost disagreed.

“If we don’t pay them, they’re going to stop working,” Brost said, noting several of the issues Pinard listed had already been rectified at no cost to the district. “The project needs to keep moving along. We’re six months behind.”

According to Commissioner Karen Plummer, some ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare employees were scheduled to move into the new facility as soon as this weekend. She noted if construction was not completed, the district would likely need to renew its lease on the temporary facility housing the district’s emergency services operation.

ESD 11 General Counsel said she was not sure if it would even be possible to renew the lease at this point.


Commissioners ultimately voted 3-1 to approve the payment to J.E. Dunn, with Pinard casting the dissenting vote. Commissioner Fred Grundmeyer was not present at the meeting.

ESD 11 officials have previously noted the capital and financing plans associated with the new campus call for no increase on the district's property tax rate.