City staff presented an update on the Shockoe Heritage Campus (referred to in the presentation as the Shaco project), describing multiple elements of the project, current contracts and funding commitments, and proposed timelines. The presentation covered the Shaco Institute exhibit hall, Lumpkin's Slave Jail Pavilion, Emily Winfrey cottage relocation, Ann Carroll's Landing and Slave Trail improvements, the Shaco Hill African Burial Ground commemorative site, and planning support for a National Slavery Museum.

Key funding and procurement details provided by staff: the Shaco Institute received an $11 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to support research and exhibits. The city contracted Baskerville to design a 12,000-square-foot exhibit hall for about $986,948; Team Henry was awarded the construction contract for the exhibit build-out at about $2,500,000; exhibit design and fabrication by Local Projects is budgeted at roughly $1,250,000. The exhibit work is starting in spring and the team estimated about 12 months for completion with a late-spring/early-summer opening target.

Staff said the Emily Winfrey cottage relocation and restoration are estimated at about $1.5 million and are included in the capital-improvement program (CIP). Ann Carroll's Landing and the Slave Trail site improvements have been bid to Team Henry (roughly $2.5 million) and are scheduled to start this year with a projected spring 2026 completion for that element.

For the Lumpkin's Slave Jail Pavilion and South Memorial on the southern campus, staff presented conceptual designs and archaeology findings. Staff said the Lumpkin'9s Jail pavilion construction costs are currently estimated at about $17.5 million; the southern campus program costs about $34 million in current design. City staff said they have state funding of $13.4 million and have budgeted about $32 million in city funds, with another $10 million budgeted in fiscal 2026 and 2027, bringing identified funding for core elements to roughly $45 million.

The Shaco Hill African Burial Ground (a 1.2-acre parcel acquired via tax sale in February 2021) has been listed on state and national historic registers and was declared a cemetery; staff estimated a commemorative-space budget of about $1.8 million. City staff noted the National Slavery Museum remains a separate effort led by a foundation; the museum'9s construction costs were described as likely exceeding $100 million and would not be built using city capital funds.

Why it matters: the presentation outlined both near-term construction activity and long-range operations, funding and design challenges, including floodplain constraints at the Lumpkin'9s site and the need for easements across CSX tracks for trail work.