PLATTSBURGH -- The Town of Plattsburgh could have a 12-screen, stadium-style movie theater before the end of the summer, according to the Vermont businessman who's redeveloping the North County Shopping Center.

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"We're looking at a late-August/September opening," EuroWest Companies President Peter Edelmann said about the 2,000-seat theater.

Edelmann, who operates out of Essex Junction, Vt., also expects to present a master plan for the 70-plus-acre property to the Town Planning Board in June.

"We're in the process with the town to get all that done," Edelmann said.

It would likely take two meetings to get approval, he said.

"If we satisfy all conditions, by September, we'll have that approved."

Town Planning and Engineering Assistant Philip Von Bargen said the process involves identification of what is being proposed and Planning Board site-plan review.

Edelmann is still working to secure all the funding needed for the theater and future projects, including demolition of the former Shopping Center.

"We're doing the first step, which is building the movie theater, and we're still finalizing our financing.

"We have been awarded the Restore New York Grant; we're going through the bureaucracy of getting the funding for that."

That grant, which comes from Empire State Development, totals $2.5 million. Actually obtaining the money has proved to bit of a drawn-out process.

"Once we got the letter that we were going to be awarded the two and half, we were, like, Happy days; get out the steam shovels; let's go,'" said Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Bernie Bassett. "And then we discovered through the (Empire State Development) people there were steps here -- God forbid we leave bureaucracy out."

Once all the paperwork is approved, Bassett said, there still could be a period before the money is in the bank. He said, though, that the agency has been very forward about the process.

"They have gone ahead to a great extent and said there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't anticipate this -- in fact, go ahead and do the work; you'll be reimbursed after. But there aren't a lot of us that have two-and-half-million dollars lying around."