Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton, Executive Director
Managing Department: County Engineer
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, County Engineer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: Annex 24 - Building C Renovation
Project ID (if applicable): TBD
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $115,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $115,000
Request Summary:
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Request by Public Health Services for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the Annex 24 - Building C Renovation project, in an amount of $115,000, and request for approval of commercial paper funding in the amount of $115,000.
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Project Description:
Annex 24 Building C Built Environment and HVAC:
This renovation is essential to modernize and fully utilize the existing MVCD space to support multiple high-priority vector control programs at MVCD, while providing safe and efficient workspaces for dedicated public health professionals. The building currently lacks adequate HVAC and electrical infrastructure, resulting in excessive heat that compromises staff safety, sensitive equipment, and the integrity of infectious surveillance samples, all of which require controlled environments. Because vector identification and diagnostic testing are required to confirm disease and activate control efforts, this renovation is urgently needed to ensure operational readiness, protect public health, and prepare for increased surveillance demands associated with upcoming FIFA events.
This renovation is essential to utilize existing space and to support multiple high-priority programs at MVCD through the creation of dedicated, functional, flexible, secure, and clean work areas. The renovated space will provide designated rooms for surveillance activities, pesticide resistance testing and evaluation, receiving of samples, storage of samples that are positive for vector-borne disease (VBD), and environmental sample processing. All of these activities are core functions of effective vector control operations. These improvements will also establish safe, efficient workspaces for teams of dedicated public health professionals, field staff, coordinators, and supervisors who carry out these critical functions daily to protect and serve residents of Harris County.
Of primary concern is that the building lacks sufficient HVAC capacity across multiple rooms, resulting in temperatures that regularly exceed 80°F. These conditions are not suitable for space staff to conduct work, but the heat negatively impacts sensitive equipment, increasing repair and replacement costs. Temperature-controlled environments are especially critical in rooms where vector identification occurs and where infectious samples are stored. The project will also deliver dedicated electrical infrastructure to support freezers that store critical surveillance samples, ensuring sample integrity and continuity of operations. This is essential as we keep samples to support diagnostic testing for pathogens of public health significance.
Vector and mosquito identification is a required step before samples can be submitted to the diagnostic laboratory for disease testing. Without laboratory confirmation of disease presence in the community, vector control interventions cannot be activated. As such, the inadequate facilities are causing heat stress and directly impeding timely surveillance, diagnostics, and response efforts.
This renovation is urgently needed to ensure operational readiness, protect staff and equipment, and maintain uninterrupted surveillance capacity. Completion of this project is critical to preparing for increased public health demands associated with FIFA events and to ensuring the community is protected through robust, reliable vector surveillance and response capabilities.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
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Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
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HVAC Upgrade |
$ 73,000.00 |
Q3 |
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Interior Renovation |
$ 28,000.00 |
Q3 |
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Total |
$ 101,000.00 |
Q3 |
Justification & Alternatives:
The proposed renovation is necessary to ensure MVCD can safely and effectively perform essential vector surveillance, identification, and disease response activities that directly protect public health. Existing facilities lack adequate HVAC capacity and electrical infrastructure, resulting in excessive heat, unsafe working conditions, and risks to sensitive equipment and infectious sample integrity. These current working spaces limit year-round vector identification, diagnostic testing, and timely activation of vector control measures, which are critical components of disease prevention and outbreak response.
Modernizing laboratory and workspaces will provide temperature-controlled, functional environments that support staff safety, biosafety requirements, and uninterrupted operations. The renovation will also deliver dedicated electrical support for freezers storing surveillance and diagnostic samples, ensuring sample integrity and continuity of testing for pathogens of public health significance. This investment is essential to maintain operational readiness, support teams of dedicated public health professionals, and meet increased surveillance and response demands associated with the growth of Harris County.
Alternatives to consider: install dedicated ductless air condition units, and limited electrical upgrades in conjunction with renovations to allow the freezer to be relocated to alternative spaces. Or the construction of a new facility or relocation to support housing staff for operations, and provide Biosafety level 1,2, and 3 level spaces to house operations from field work to surveillance, identification, diagnostic testing, and sample storage. While comprehensive, this option would involve substantially higher costs, longer timelines, and significant operational disruption, making it impractical given the urgent need to maintain uninterrupted surveillance and response capacity.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): H4: Consistently embed sustainability considerations in the project planning and design process.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Previous Court Action:
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Commercial Paper |
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Total Funding Request |
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$115,000 |
$115,000 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Anticipated Court Date: 3/19/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, First Assistant County Attorney-Legal Operations, 3/8/2026
Department Approval by: Alexey Gruber, Director - Office of Operations & Technology Services, 3/11/2026
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 3/9/2026
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: County Engineer
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D-2 can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the Annex 24 - Building C Renovation project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years, either through bonds, budgetary means, or pay-as-you-go sources.
Note: Commercial Paper is issued in increments of $5,000, and any excess is not available for departmental spending.
OMB Financial Management contact: Fahad Gulzar, Acting Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget