Posted: May 16, 2007  11:06

Dressed up with a classy stone front, a bank of 12-foot high windows overlooking the Kootenai River and polished cedar trunks, the $1 million Visitors' Center fronting Highway 95 is ready to do the two-step across center stage.

Sporting the scent of new carpet and fresh paint, all it needs is a building bustling with people.

That should happen in about two weeks when the two-story Visitors' Center finally opens its doors to the public, possibly by June 1.

But on May 15, City Council - along with the new Visitors' Center Advisory Committee and members of the public - were given a first-hand tour of the 2,587-square foot building that broke ground last fall after the city partnered with Idaho Transportation Department to fund the project.

"This is a terrific-looking building and a super location," said Councilman John Langs. "This could be like a handshake for people coming into Boundary County. I'm open to a lot of ideas that can really turn this into something more than just an ordinary Visitors' Center."

Equipped with an elevator, a tapered second-story ceiling reaching 16 feet surrounded by a wall of windows and tract-lighting, the Visitors' Center has the capacity to hold a maximum of 132 people. Wildlife footprints have been cast into a brown cement walkway that winds around the center.

The Selkirk International Loop will lease space on the center's 1,635-square foot main floor shortly after the city assumes occupancy on May 21. Layered landscaping, complete with native plants and Idaho white pine, is expected to be planted within the next few weeks.

"Our immediate needs are to get the building open and manned for the public as soon as possible," said Mayor Darrell Kerby. "We should be getting good direction on how it will operate from our Visitors' Advisory Committee."

The Visitors' Center Advisory Committee: From left, Mike Jurgensen, Carolyn Testa, Wendy Hawks and Mike Peterson. Missing from photo is committee member Tom Turpin

Appointed last week by the mayor, the five-member committee will hold its first meeting Monday at noon in council chambers. Comprised of Wendy Hawks, Carolyn Testa, Tom Turpin, Dave Jurgensen and Mike Peterson, the committee will initially elect officers and focus on operational procedures and other innovative ideas.

"I'm excited about this committee," said Councilman Dave Gray. "They're excellent people with excellent minds. I'm excited to see how this all cooks out."