Waynesboro is in the home stretch to host a satellite location for the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and members of the museum’s board of trustees met at the current museum in Martinsville Saturday morning and narrowed down the future museum’s location to two choices.

In February, the group focused on four choices for the potential museum – three buildings and a plot of land at Constitution Park. All four locations are in the downtown area of the city on Main Street to encourage the revitalization of the area. By Saturday, all but two of the board members had visited all four of the potential sites and developed their opinions.

After weighing the pros and cons of each location, the board narrowed the search down to two sites — the 40,000 sq. ft. G&W Motorwerkes building and a 17,000 sq. ft. open plot of land in Constitution Park. Both sites would cost about $6.8 million, which includes the cost of the building and maintaining the museum exhibits, among other things.

The Motorwerkes building is the most “move-in ready,” according to the board, and would not require very much construction, as it was renovated in the 1980’s. The site is the most removed from public parking facilities, though, and has no space for outdoor programs.

The second potential site is a parcel of land owned by the city of Waynesboro located at the eastern gateway to the city, next to Constitution Park. An architecture study by the Washington D.C.-based company Quatrefoil showed the museum would be strategically located near the South River, the park and the downtown commercial district. There would also be excess space to develop outdoor programs, as well as parking lot.

“These property owners have been very kind and generous with their time, and they’ve been very supportive of the museum,” said Joe Keiper, executive director of the museum.

Board member Dr. Mark Crabtree said it would be much easier to make a final decision with two definite choices in play between a brand new location and rehabilitating an existing building. While praising the Motorwerkes building’s structure, Crabtree said he preferred the new site.

“I was much impressed with the new site,” he said. “I think there are more synergistic opportunities.”

The next step will be to conduct a fundraising feasibility study, Keiper explained. The board needs to figure out how much money can be raised in Waynesboro to support the new museum. To do that, the board will hire a firm to conduct the study.

“It’s going to cost a little more than anticipated,” said Board Secretary Janet Scheid of the study. Instead of $25,000, it will likely be in the range of $35,000 to $40,000.

“We have enough money on hand to pay for it,” Keiper added.

The board will choose a firm by next week, Keiper said, and the study should be done in about three months. By the fall, the board will have a better idea about how much money can be raised in the River City for the museum and how much money will need to be found elsewhere.

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