ROCK HILL -- It's no secret that a new visitors center has been in the sights of the Sullivan County Visitors Association. In August, county legislators approved funding for a proposed visitors center of up to $4.5 million that would be located in proximity to Exit 106 in the Town of Thompson at a property on Joyland Road near Resorts World Catskills. In the months since, things have changed, and the new plan is for it to be in Rock Hill.

Yesterday, the Sullivan County Legislature Executive Committee passed a resolution to move ahead with a proposed visitors center in Rock Hill, which would be located at a property in proximity to Exit 109. This came after a resolution that was introduced earlier in the day by the Public Works Committee. Both resolutions passed unanimously.

According to the resolution, as part of its due diligence, the county may be required to undertake environmental reviews, SEQRA analysis, permitting compliance, and related actions to determine if the project is viable.

“I think it's important to have the Visitors Association. I think they've been doing a good job,” said District 9 Legislator Alan Sorensen. “But as we move forward to evaluate the visitors center I want to make sure it's right sized for the county, that it meets the needs but is also constructed in a cost effective manner. So those are the things I'll be looking for as the project evolves.”

Sorensen's district includes Rock Hill.

Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez said the project is still in the beginning stages, and they are looking at the land at the proposed site.

He said the visitors center will bring together what the county has to offer in one place. “What I'm looking for in the county is to promote tourism and more people coming to the county,” Alvarez said yesterday.