Construction is underway on a new 33,000-square-foot, single story medical examiner facility.
Johnson County broke ground on the project in December 2019. Voters approved a ¼-cent sales tax in November 2016 to build a $21 million facility.
The facility is located on the Johnson County Government campus at 119th and Ridgeview in Olathe. The contractor is McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. The design firms are PGAV Architects and SmithGroupJJR.
The project team visited peer facilities in New Mexico, Maryland, Kansas and Missouri to gather information on best practices, design efficiencies and ideas for specialty fixtures and equipment.
The goals of the new medical examiner facility are:
- Increase autopsy rates to meet appropriate national benchmarks
- Build a state of the art, high-functioning facility, known for excellence and leadership
- Facilitate National Association of Medical Examiners (N.A.M.E.) accreditation by meeting scientific requirements
- Provide reliable data for public health to identify trends and emerging diseases
The construction budget is $16.5 million. The facility is anticipated to be open for business in second quarter of 2020.
