S1052

The New York State Senate passed legislation Tuesday to relocate the Central New York Welcome Center from Destiny USA shopping mall in Syracuse to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, with a vote of 57-4. Senate Print 1052, sponsored by Sen. May, directs the Department of Economic Development to move the welcome center to the Auburn facility, which was originally designed for that purpose but has lacked dedicated operating funds since a previous administration redirected them to the mall location. Sen. May argued the welcome center currently receives minimal foot traffic at its second-floor mall location despite Destiny USA's 26 million annual visitors. She contended the Auburn site would attract significantly more visitors through school field trips and tourism related to the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park and Seward House Historic Site. The facility already houses a Taste NY component and interactive displays on local history and the suffrage and abolition movements. Sen. Walczyk cast one of four opposing votes, expressing concern about the relocation's impact on the Taste NY agricultural product program's visibility and criticizing the lack of formal consultation with municipalities across Central New York, including Syracuse, Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Oswego, Cortland, and Cayuga counties. He also noted the potential loss of a valuable state partnership with Destiny USA. Sen. May countered that Taste NY products would remain available in both locations and that the move would ultimately serve more visitors while preserving operating funds for the Auburn facility.