Council Confirms Support of Museum
City Council to Provide $1,000,000 of Support to Construction
Waynesboro, VA – At the October 11, 2023 regular meeting, Waynesboro City Council unanimously confirmed support of $1,000,000 to aid in the Waynesboro Campus of the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH). This confirms the actions of previous councils in 2015 and 2018.
The campus is currently in the detailed design phase and is slated to be a 28,000 square foot two story facility located in Constitution Park at Broad Street and Arch Avenue. The museum will feature exhibits interpreting the unique attributes of the Shenandoah Valley, provide educational opportunities for the region, while increasing cultural and tourism opportunities for the city and region.
“We are grateful for the continued support of the Waynesboro City Council,” stated Dr. Joe Keiper, Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. “This branch campus is an excellent way for us to expand the reach of our Martinsville location and to utilize our collection of over ten million artifacts.”
Richmond based Chmura Economics and Analytics, estimates that the Waynesboro location will attract between 45,332 and 85,832 visitors a year and will have a regional economic impact of $4.2M annually.
The detailed planning is expected to be completed in early 2024 and complete construction funding for the museum has been requested in the Commonwealth’s FY 25 Central Capital Planning Fund.
Local citizens and businesses will also have an opportunity to contribute to the project with a public philanthropic giving campaign that will be announced later. The combination of the requested state funding, the City’s $1M, and a public campaign to raise $2M will provide the necessary funding to construct the Waynesboro Campus and be open as early as mid-2026.
VMNH publishes a newsletter providing updates on the status of the Waynesboro Campus. Subscribe at www.vmnh.net/projects/waynesboro-campus.
Additional detail and images are available at WaynesboroBusiness.com / About us / Transformational Projects
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