Elk Center gets big boost

A new Elk Visitors Center near the village of Benezette is gaining momentum.

Last month, more than 75 people spent a Sunday afternoon on Winslow Hill, Benezette Township touring the site for the "Pennsylvania Wilds Elk County Visitor Center."

The informal open house and cookout was intended to provide Benezette Township residents, local officials and businesses with a detailed look at plans for this elk- viewing and conservation education facility.

It was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Pa. Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, who are developing the facility under a public-private partnership.

The project got a shot in the arm last month when the Richard King Mellon Foundation awarded a $1 million grant for educational exhibits, displays and a story theater at the center.

Groundbreaking is scheduled later this year, with a grand opening expected by late 2009.