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Senate approves plan to move Central New York welcome center to Auburn after heated debate
Summary
The Senate voted to direct the state to move the Central New York Welcome Center from Destiny USA in Syracuse to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn after extended floor questioning about past funding, visitor counts and local support. Supporters said operating funds are needed to sustain the Auburn site; opponents said Destiny USA draws far larger traffic.
The New York State Senate on March 13 approved a measure directing the 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 extended floor debate and questioning of the bill's sponsor.
Sen. May, the sponsor, said the proposal would place the welcome center in the Equal Rights Heritage Center and provide operating support, and fielded repeated questions from Sen. Walter about past state funding and whether Onondaga County supported moving the center. “This is a decision for the state of New York,” the sponsor said when asked whether local authorities had agreed to the change.
Sen. Walter pressed the sponsor on the center's operating history, noting a prior $10 million state investment in the Heritage Center’s building and asking whether the city received operating funds. Walter also criticized the idea of moving the center away from the high-traffic Destiny USA mall and alleged, “there was some side deal made between Governor Cuomo and the mall developers to shift the plan,” questioning whether the relocation was politically motivated. The sponsor did not confirm that allegation and said she was not aware of such an arrangement.
Sen. Welch and other opponents argued the Destiny USA location serves far more visitors and better exposes travelers to New York goods and attractions. “When you look at everything… it doesn’t make strategic sense for us in this body to move CNY’s welcome center out to the city of Auburn,” Welch said, citing ease of access and existing visitor flows at Destiny USA.
Supporters, including senators who argued for sustained operating funding for Auburn, said the state’s earlier capital investment left the city without reliable operating support and that placing the center at the Heritage Center would better serve local economic development. The sponsor said the proposal included $200,000 in operating support in her one-house budget proposal and characterized the move as an attempt to create a sustainable funding model for the Heritage Center.
After debate, the presiding officer recorded the roll call; the clerk announced the count as 47 ayes and 15 nays, and the bill was passed and placed back on the noncontroversial calendar prior to final adoption.
The Senate concluded consideration and moved on to other business; the sponsor said stakeholders and local officials would be engaged as the administrative steps proceed.
