That's something Andrew Somerville, the managing partner of Liberty Development Group, knows about first-hand.

His plans for Liberty Square — a 29-acre development west of N.M. 344 on Old Route 66 in Edgewood — include retail shops, restaurants, a hotel and a 10-screen movie theater that was expected to be running as soon as this spring at one point.

"The banks are not being free with their money," he said. "That's actually been our most significant challenge."

The blueprint for the theater, which would be an anchor tenant, has been altered to accommodate for changes in the expected terms for a loan, Somerville said. They had to shave a 10 percent of costs somewhere, he said.

"It will not compromise the value in any way, we're just trying to do things that are smart and will make it more cost-effective," he said. "We expect to make a deal within a month and a half."

What has been done is something called "value engineering," according to Thomas Becker, the senior vice president and general manager of Storyteller Theaters. His company is working with Somerville to make the movie theater a reality.

He said the value engineering will make the way the building is built a little more efficient and may even include subtle changes such as moving an air conditioning unit or using a different, less expensive, type of tile.

"The project is not dead. We are excited about it," he said.

During the interview, Becker was at a construction site in Durango, Colo., where workers were putting an addition on a theater.

"Storyteller is expanding," he said.

He said the company, which has theaters in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming, with its headquarters in Santa Fe, is looking at existing markets they're in to expand, and they've done a great deal of research on the Edgewood area. He added that the movie business is doing well, even during a recession.

"When times are tough, people want to get away," he said. "It's also one of the more affordable choices in entertainment."

Becker said that it is easier to get banks to put money into an existing venture, such as an expansion of a movie theater, than to put money in a new market like Edgewood. In spite of that, he restated several times that his company was interested in putting a theater in Edgewood.

"Edgewood is such a great town," he said. "We can't wait to get this thing moving."