MEDORA (AP) - Delays have plagued construction of the new interpretive center at the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, but staff expects to soon begin moving things into the facility.

"We're waiting on a lot of little things," site supervisor Dolores Linn said. "It's been continuous setbacks. Every time you turn around there is a change needed."

The center tells the story of the Marquis de Mores, a French nobleman and entrepreneur who in the 1880s ran a meatpacking plant in Medora, the town which he founded and named after his wife.

The first setback happened soon after ground was broken in the spring of 2006 for a 5,700-square-foot addition to the 2,700-square-foot center built in 1974.

Officials discovered that the old building was structurally unsound and had to be replaced rather than just enlarged. The necessary underground work such as digging footings was put off until spring 2007, with a grand opening set for last fall.

The grand opening was later delayed until late this coming April, because of weather problems last spring and summer and other problems, such as lighting over the front desk area that was installed incorrectly and had to be redone.

The new structure includes a main exhibit room, temporary exhibit room, museum store, meeting room for about 50 people, reference library, Linn's office, a loading dock, handicap-accessible restrooms, storage space, a staff lounge and a maintenance area.

Center items have been stored in buildings in Medora and storage units in Belfield. Linn hopes to begin moving them into the new center this month.

"We've been putting it off until everything is totally complete and there is nothing left to do inside," she said. "Inspectors for the electrical work are coming early January with electricians to finish up everything."

Other finishing touches include concrete work for a path leading to the front door and for a back patio. That will be done in the spring.

Extra money was needed for concrete work after part of the parking lot was torn out and redone.

"The ground was so saturated they had to dig down and put a foot of gravel down first, which jumped the cost way up," Linn said. "The gravel alone was an extra $10,000. Our funding came from the North Dakota State Historical Society."

A few shelving units and countertops for the store area also were not done correctly and must be redone. Wooden rafters also presented a problem.

"They had done the finishing work on the rafters over the store area and had them in, but the rafters were exposed to the elements too long and all had to be redone by hand," Linn said. "They had to be resanded and restained, which was extra work, but they sure look nice."

The center also has a few remaining needs.

"We want to have a nice seating area by the front and we're looking for furniture donations," Linn said. "We're also hoping to get a conference table for the reference library, and we need a washer and dryer set to replace the old set."

Officials also are asking for funding help from groups such as city councils in the area to pay off $300,000 in bonds used to finance the $1.95 million center.