Regardless of how low the economy goes in the next two years, the new $35-million Salvador Dali Museum will be built and open in early 2011, museum director Hank Hine said Thursday.

Hine and museum trustee David Dyer were unequivocal about staying the course set by the trustees two months ago when they voted to begin building a new home for the Spanish surrealist’s work on the downtown waterfront near the Mahaffey Theater.

Groundbreaking is set for Dec. 12.

‘We will raise the money,’ said Dyer. ‘We would rather not borrow it, but we will if we must.’