John Duncan, owner of Schmidt Lumber, said Friday, “We’re moving dirt — finally.”

The new lumberyard will be at the northwest corner of 174th and U.S. Highway 24-40.

Depending on weather, Duncan said, construction should begin in a couple of weeks.

“I would love to be open the first of the year,” Duncan said. “But it will probably be February or March.”

He said he’s looking forward to adding the Basehor branch to his company, which also includes an operation in Lawrence.

“We’re very excited to be a part of the community up there,” Duncan said.

The process of establishing a business in Leavenworth County has taken longer than expected. Duncan said that originally, his company had planned to build on the south side of 24-40 near 166th Street, and they had hoped to be in business by last fall.

“It’s been a long road, but most of the things that are worth doing are worth persevering on,” Duncan said.

Linda Bohnsack, staff planner for Leavenworth County, said the business, which will encompass almost six acres, will include two buildings, each 150 feet by 70 feet, and an outside storage are. The property is zoned as a general business district, Bohnsack said. She noted the property surrounding Schmidt will be fenced and screened with landscaping. The entrance to the lumberyard will be off of Bayside Drive, Bohnsack said.

Just east of the lumberyard site is another eight acres, also zoned for general business, Bohnsack said.

Duncan, who said Schmidt Lumber is leasing the property on 24-40, is looking forward to opening the new branch.

“We’re still very excited about being in that area,” Duncan said. “We’re thinking it’s a tremendous setup — it’s a growing community. It reaches other growing communities — and there’s highway access.”