Press Release: Dryden Center for Community Center Completes Purchase of United Methodist Church Building

On February 11, 2026, the Dryden Center for Community completed the purchase of the United Methodist Church building located in the center of the Village of Dryden. This is a major step toward opening the building for public events, community meals, music and creative arts lessons, and multigenerational events. “After months of community conversations and amazing support from so many individuals and families, we are ready to get to work on making this the community center that Dryden needs”, said Stephanie Ortolano, the Executive Director of the Dryden Center for Community.

For years, needs assessments have emphasized the need for a place where the community can gather. The closure of the Methodist Church which had hosted weekly community meals and numerous events, brought community leaders together to explore whether the dream of a community center might become a reality. “From the time I convened the first meeting of people to talk about a community center back in March, the energy and support from everyone in the community was just incredible,” said Tom Sinclair, President of the DCC, “It was a leap of faith that we could do this together, and we did it.”

Fundraising for the Center started in September, and by the end of the year, village residents and friends contributed over $320,000 which more than covered the $275,000 purchase price and provided the resources to begin hiring staff and renovating the facility.

Ortolano used the opportunity to praise other organizations for their support of the project. Dryden’s Village government helped out by revising the Village Code and making the project its highest ranked proposal in the Village’s New York Forward Local Planning Committee recommendations to the State of New York. Mayor Mike Murphy said, “An amazing group of individuals is creating the Dryden Center for Community. It’s a great gift to the Village.” The Center for the Arts of Homer served as the Dryden Center’s fiscal sponsor while it was awaiting its designation as a charitable nonprofit, and continues to provide invaluable technical assistance to the organization. “We are so grateful to the folks in Homer for their generous support and look forward to continued collaboration with them”, said Ortolano.

“Now that we have our building, the real work of getting programs and activities up and running can begin,” Ortolano said. “We have dozens of people ready to volunteer their time, talent, and muscle to get our doors open and our programs running. This is just a beginning step toward our vision to be an inclusive gathering place where the sounds and sights of community creativity always stream through its open doors.”