Awarding of bid for the Montgomery County Forensic Center

MAGNOLIA, TX -- The awarding of the bid for the construction of the new Montgomery County Forensic building will be presented in the next Commissioners Court, Monday, November 30, 2020 . A public meeting was held and 10 bids were received and opened. The current state of the Montgomery County Forensic Center presented the need for the county to support and provide for an up to date facility that could manage the backlog of morgue cases. Since 2011 the current facility has been operating out of a repurposed storage space. Based on the continued growth of Montgomery County, it is necessary to build and provide this new building that will offer up to date services and room that the established facility is lacking.

Dr. Kathryn Pinneri, Montgomery County Forensic Service Center Director, is nationally recognized for her professional experience and achievements. “Having someone like Dr. Pinneri is a feather in our cap for Montgomery County. What she has been capable of doing, operations wise, in a reduced facility has been nothing short of remarkable. Her work is meaningful for law enforcement reasons, for the fire department, for medical reasons but most importantly for the families of the deceased. This new facility will benefit us all. If she can oversee operations out of what was once an RV storage space, that is now past its capacity of reverent service, then I’m anticipating a better flow of operations that will be sent through her offices.” states Commissioner Charlie Riley. “I’m grateful to the support from Commissioner Meador and Commissioner Metts. They understood the importance for this new facility.”

The development of the new Forensics Center involved concerted efforts from our Purchasing and Building Maintenance departments, whose contributions on the steering and advisory committees provided valuable input. The design of the new building involves the need for up to three times the space, with future expansion plans for a crime lab and a forensics lab. Special insulation and ventilation specifications are needed for the proper storage of bodies in the morgue. The new forensic center is estimated to take two years to build.