Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2015 6:45 am

Brian Carlton bcarlton@newsvirginian.com

WAYNESBORO-By this time next month, city residents should have an idea of where the Virginia Museum of Natural History wants to put its satellite facility. Joe Keiper, the museum’s executive director, said that the board of directors plans to at least narrow the competition between the four Waynesboro locations during their meeting in Martinsville on May 16.

“We hope to cut those four down to two, one if possible next month,” Keiper said.

Those four options include three existing buildings and one plot of land. There’s the G & W Motorwerkes building, which comes with a price tag of an estimated $7.2 million and has about 40,000 sq. ft. of space. The building is the most “move-in ready” of the four, requiring very little construction. On the other hand, it’s the farthest from any large public parking areas and has no space for outdoor programs. The second location found in the center of Main Street is an old furniture store that comes with a price of close to $6.917 million and 48,000 sq. ft. of space. The only problem is the structure was last renovated in the 1950s, so it would take a lot to rebuild it. Third is the Leggett’s building on Main Street, which would cost $9.896 million. In addition to the high price tag, it also has structural issues. The fourth option is the city owned land across from Constitution Park, near the South River. Unless it’s donated, that would cost the museum an estimated $7.32 million to purchase. In the museum’s master plan, the empty field is listed as the first recommended option, followed by the G & W building, the furniture store and finally Leggetts.

Keiper said that board members are split on which option they prefer.

“We have some folks who just love the idea of using an existing building,” Keiper said. “We also have a couple of people, since the cost difference isn’t that much, who want to build something new.”

Once the board makes a decision on the location, then the museum staff will spend this summer putting together the plan of how to raise the money for it. Before an actual capital campaign gets started, Keiper said the staff has to be able to present a plan, detailing how much they’re looking to raise and how to go about it. Depending on which of the four options the museum board chooses, the campaign could look very different.

“It’s a question of what’s realistic to raise,” Keiper said. “A new building with exhibits, that can cost between $8 to $10 million, depending on what’s inside. Maybe it’s only realistic to try and get a $6 to $7 million project built.”

The studies so far have recommended a place similar to the Danville Science Center, about 21,850 sq. ft., with 10,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. The remaining space would be used for research, education purposes and offices. The studies also projected that Waynesboro would draw more crowds than the existing museum in Martinsville, which averaged 30,000 visitors over the last three years. Waynesboro, according to a report from the Richmond-based Chumura Economics and Analysis, would more than double that, with an expected average of 65,582 over a three year period. Part of the reason for that difference is the population in each area. Martinsville and Henry County have a combined population of 67,972. Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County combine for 119,705. There’s also James Madison University and the University of Virginia within driving distance, to include in partnerships.

The Waynesboro museum would serve a total of eleven cities, including Waynesboro, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Buena Vista and Charlottesville, along with the counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Nelson, Rockingham and Rockbridge.

Keiper estimates that a study on how to do the museum’s fundraising should be complete by the end of the summer. After that, the museum staff will get ready to launch the capital campaign in 2016.

“It’s tough, with all that’s involved before starting a capital campaign,” Keiper said. “But a lot can be learned in the meantime, We want to make sure we do this right.”