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Senate approves moving Central New York Welcome Center to Auburn’s Equal Rights Heritage Center
Summary
On March 17, 2025, the New York State Senate passed a bill directing the state Department of Economic Development to relocate the Central New York Welcome Center from Destiny USA in Syracuse to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn after debate over foot traffic and local consultation; the measure passed 57–4.
The New York State Senate on March 17, 2025 passed legislation directing the state Department of Economic Development to move the Central New York Welcome Center from its current location at Destiny USA to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in the city of Auburn. The bill passed after roll call with 57 senators voting in favor and four voting no.
Senator Rachel May, sponsor of the bill, said the Auburn facility “was actually built to be a welcome center” and argued the move would return operating funds to a building constructed for that purpose. May said the current location at Destiny USA receives little activity at the welcome center itself and that relocating would place the center “right across from City Hall, right next to the Seward House historic site,” making it more connected to nearby historic attractions and school visits.
Senator Walchuk, who pressed the sponsor with a series of questions during debate, raised concerns about the selection process and local consultation. Walchuk noted that Destiny USA attracts about “26,000,000 visitors a year” and asked why the center was being moved away from that foot traffic and whether municipal and county officials in Central New York had been consulted. Walchuk said he had not been contacted and that he represented parts of Oswego County; he said the lack of outreach to Syracuse, Onondaga County and other Central New York counties gave him “a lot of pause” and prompted his opposition.
May replied that the Equal Rights Heritage Center already contains a Taste New York presence and interactive exhibits related to local history, women's suffrage and abolition, and that Auburn receives school field trips and visitors to nearby Harriet Tubman National Historic Park. On questions about parking, May said there is both free street parking and a nearby parking garage that offers an initial free period for visitors; she acknowledged some on-site parking at Destiny USA is paid.
Debate closed after several rounds of questions and answers. Senate leadership removed the bill from the controversial calendar after discussion and it was returned to the noncontroversial calendar for final passage. The clerk announced that in relation to the bill "those senators voted in the negative: Senators Barrello, Rhodes, Walzick, and White," and that the measure passed.
The bill directs the Department of Economic Development to relocate the Central New York Welcome Center to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn; the legislation takes effect immediately, according to the reading of the final section.
Implementation will require the Department of Economic Development to execute the relocation and any associated operating-fund changes; the transcript records the sponsor’s claim that prior operating funds were redirected to the Destiny USA location but does not include administrative details or a timetable for the move. The Senate debate focused on site-selection rationale, local outreach, visitor counts and parking; it did not include detailed budget line items or a department implementation plan.
