The Central New York Welcome Center is at Destiny USA in Syracuse, but a by state Sen. Rachel May would designate the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn as the region's official welcome center.听
The legislation would direct the state Department of Economic Development to enter into a contract with the city of Auburn, which operates the Equal Rights Heritage Center.听
In 2016, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state would establish 10 welcome centers, one in each of the economic development regions. The initial plan called for the central New York welcome center to be located in Auburn.听
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Although the state followed through on its plan to build a new facility in Auburn, it was not designated as the central New York welcome center. The regional welcome center was placed at Destiny USA, a large shopping center in Syracuse. It was never explained why the state changed course and chose Syracuse, not Auburn, as the host city for the welcome center.听
May, D-Syracuse, acknowledged the state invested $10 million to construct the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn. But the city has been responsible for covering operating expenses 鈥 it does not get aid from the state to run the center. In its current fiscal year, the city is paying $262,000 to operate the facility.听
Most of the state-designated welcome centers receive annual funding. Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2024-25 budget proposal includes $125,000 for the city of Geneva, which operates the Finger Lakes Welcome Center. The spending plan does include $215,000 for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County to run the Taste NY market at the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn.听聽
There was a one-time $50,000 grant from the state to support the center, according to Auburn City Clerk Chuck Mason. The funding was provided in 2018 鈥 the year the center opened to the public.听
May's legislation, according to a summary, would "give the Equal Rights Heritage Center the recognition it deserves and fulfill a commitment made in 2016 by designating it the official central New York visitors center."聽
The Equal Rights Heritage Center drew more than 20,000 visitors from its opening day in November 2018 through 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic affected attendance, but the facility rebounded with over 10,000 visitors in 2022 and 11,304 in 2023.听
In five years, the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn has established itself as a starting point for visitors. But it has faced challenges, namely COVID-19, along the way.
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
Robert Harding
Online producer/politics reporter
