The ink is drying on the lease signed Dec. 14 by the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce for its new visitor center to be located in the bright green cottage owned by Susan Rodgers at the corner of Highway 104 and West Kingston Road.

Though they’ll wait until the holidays are over to move in, newly re-elected chamber president Jana Kramberger said the chamber board and volunteers are meeting to discuss a floor plan and how to set up the new space. The building was recently updated with a new paint job, windows and flooring, and has a small bathroom and kitchen.

“I think the board is very excited. It’ll be nice to have that visibility,” she said. “It’ll serve as a concierge to get people to come into town.”

It will also be a gathering place for people who live here. The chamber’s monthly After-Hours Networking event will be held in the new building at 5 p.m. Jan. 10.

“It’s a nice time for people to get in there and check it out,” Kramberger said.

Not only will the visitor center offer informational brochures, maps and volunteers to direct folks to businesses, events, recreational areas and community resources, but the Kingston Historical Society and local tribes may be invited to utilize the building to display exhibits. The “This is something that will definitely draw people to this corner,” Rodgers said. “I’m hoping it becomes the little heartbeat of the town.”

Currently staffed by volunteers 10 a.m.-2 p.m. six days per week, Kramberger said the hours might be extended to 4 or 5 p.m., especially in spring and summer.

Rent for the 16-month lease has already been pledged by the Kingston Stakeholders, an offshoot of the chamber, which raised substantial donations to cover funds needed for the first year. Kramberger said the chamber will increase its fund-raising efforts in the future to pay the rent.

A bright painting of Kingston, created by Kramberger’s husband, Srecko, that was unveiled a year ago and sold as prints to raise funds for the Downtown Kingston Association, will be enlarged and mounted alongside the building to replace the signboard that is currently there. The Krambergers own S&J Graphics and the West First Street Gallery in Kingston just around the corner from the new center.

The adjacent Cleo’s Landing, also owned by Rodgers that houses the Kingston Art Gallery, her own Design Connection office and the Kingston Community News office, is in the midst of a stellar makeover. The revamp has included new concrete, paint, carpeting, entryways, additional room for parking, landscaping and yet to come, a water feature, an addition to the building and increased visibility for those walking up Highway 104 from the ferry terminal and marina.

The chamber has been housed in the Kingston Community Center for about four years.