Officials for the Natural History Museum in Virginia, are finalising the masterplan for a new satellite museum in Waynesboro to be presented to its governing board next month for approval.

Included in the US$7.4m (€6.2m, £4.9m) masterplan are exhibits, layout and visitor experience for a Waynesboro interpretive centre developed by Maryland-based Quatrefoil Associates.

The Waynesboro site, which will serve as an addition to the main museum in Martinsville, will be around 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) in size, with funding coming from both the state and federal government. Groundbreaking could start as early as Q3 2016, with the site opening at some point during 2017.

The museum committee is currently reviewing the proposed masterplan before a presentation, scheduled for 11 February to the museum’s board of trustees.