The Inland Empire Railway Historical Society is solidifying plans to begin developing an estimated $24.5 million destination museum near Reardan, about 20 miles west of Spokane, and to pull up stakes here.

It has hired Bouten Construction Co., of Spokane, to construct a $1.7 million first-phase building there that's to be called the Lee Tillotson Conservation and Restoration Center, and has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for Sept. 21. MMEC Architecture & Interiors, of Spokane, is the architect for the overall project.

The nonprofit society, created in 1967 to promote and preserve the history of railroading here, expects in late 2014 to vacate space at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, at 404 N. Havana, in Spokane Valley, where it has been operating for decades.

WOW!!! Huge plans. Have the raised all this money???

The project also presents a huge fundraising challenge for the organization, which thus far has amassed only a fraction of the money needed to construct the overall complex and will be seeking grants to help cover some of the cost, Swant says. He estimates the overall project will take 10 years to complete.

The 12,000-square-foot building that's to be constructed first is named after Lee Tillotson, an original and lifetime member of the Railway Historical Society who died in 2010 and left the organization a substantial sum. Swant wouldn't disclose the amount of the gift, but said it will be enough to cover about 90 percent of the costs of the initial phase of construction.