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Sedgwick County advances $20M plan to expand Regional Forensic Science Center
Summary
County staff presented a capital plan to build a ~24,600 sq ft addition and remodel existing lab space to address backlogs and ventilation limitations. The CIP requests A&E funding in 2026 and construction funding in 2027; staff said the project would be bond‑funded and the county will provide detailed cost breakdowns to commissioners.
County officials on Monday reviewed a multi-year plan to expand the Regional Forensic Science Center to address space and equipment limits that officials said are hindering casework.
Dr. Shelley Stedman, director of the county forensic center, told commissioners that Sedgwick County handles roughly 40% of violent‑crime evidence in Kansas but operates out of about 31,000 square feet, which she described as performing “a whole lot of work in very little space.” She said toxicology and drug‑ID backlogs and the technical ventilation needs of modern mass‑spectrometry equipment motivated a new space study that replaced earlier 2014 plans.
Andrew Dilstrok, director of facilities, presented a capital improvement proposal that staff has preliminarily budgeted with design (A&E) funding of just over $1,200,000 in 2026 and construction funding of just over $19,000,000 in 2027. The program would add about 24,600 square feet for DNA, firearms, drug‑ID and fire‑debris laboratories and remodel roughly 16,000 square feet of the existing building to improve ventilation, morgue storage and electrical capacity. Staff said they had allowed an approximate $4,000,000 remodeling allowance for specialized systems.
Commissioners pressed for more detailed line‑item breakdowns — distinguishing shell cost, equipment (FF&E), contingencies and inflation — and asked staff to provide the architect’s space‑standards documentation. Commissioner Howell asked which spaces drove the proposed square footage; staff said the architect used national laboratory standards and a room‑by‑room inventory of current operations to estimate needs. Facilities staff said much of the analytical instrumentation will be moved to the new spaces but that some heavy or deteriorated pieces (for example, a firearms tank) would be replaced rather than relocated.
Staff said the CIP currently carries a $7,000,000 authorization and that the county plans to use bond financing: the bond sale is anticipated only after project completion (staff cited a target of issuing bonds in 2028 so debt service aligns with final costs). No formal vote was taken; commissioners asked staff to return with a more granular cost analysis, equipment carve‑outs, and documentation showing how the space estimates link to projected staffing and accreditation standards.
