Funds being raised to repurpose former Dryden church building

The recently closed Dryden United Methodist Church building, located at 9 E. Main St. in the village, could soon find some new life.

The Dryden United Methodist Church closed on June 30 of this year. Rev. Robyn Hays, the church’s pastor for the last four years, previously noted that a decline in membership and finances had led to the decision to close.

Now, local resident Stephanie Ortolano is organizing a fundraising initiative to bring The Dryden Center for Community (DCC) to the building.

Ortolano launched a website, drydencenter.org, to showcase her vision for the organization.

“The Dryden Center for Community is a not-for-profit community center in the heart of the village of Dryden. Soon to be located in the former Dryden United Methodist Church, our vision is that the Dryden Center for Community will be an inclusive gathering place where the sounds and sights of community creativity always stream through its open doors,” Ortolano said on the website. “We want to create a welcoming space for everyone in the greater Dryden community.”

Music, art, space rental, community dinners, game nights, workshops, a rehearsal space and dancing events were some of the examples of how the community center could be used.

But first, funds are needed to reopen the structure.

Ortolano detailed on the website that there’s a fundraising goal of $400,000 to “cover the purchase” of the former church building and “initial start-up costs” for the center.

“Please help make this dream become a reality by donating today,” Ortolano said, noting that the center is a registered not-for-profit organization in New York state.

Ortolano mentioned that the DCC is applying for 501(c)3 status, and all donations are “tax-deductible retroactively to the incorporation date.”

The organization has launched a GoFundMe page. The goal, according to the page, is to raise $30,000.

Representatives from the DCC will appear at the annual Freeville Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Community Connections event in Freeville from noon to 2 p.m. — both on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Each event will give people a chance to ask questions or donate directly to the organization.

Dryden Center representatives will also attend a fundraiser at the Dryden Creamery at 62 W. Main St. in the village on Sept. 12-13. Each day, the event will run from 1 to 9 p.m.

 “The core values of the DCC will be accessibility, diversity and inclusion,” Ortolano said via the GoFundMe page.

The DCC has stated a breakdown of its guiding principles, including:

Accessibility: “We want to ensure that our space is welcoming, and that events/classes will be affordable to all within our community. This may mean sliding scale tuition for lessons or barter for space by artists (i.e.: groups can use the space for free or reduced fees if they perform for a community event or help with fundraising in some way, like serving at a community meal).”

Diversity: “We want to support a variety of art expressions within our community representing different cultures and experiences.”

Inclusion: “Everyone can have a voice in envisioning what we will be creating. This does not mean that all ideas will be acted upon, but we will hold regular community feedback sessions and have other opportunities for the wider community and specific interest groups to have a voice in planning and decision-making.”

For more information on the DCC, send an email to info@drydencenter.org. 

A form to send comments about the center is available at drydencenter.org. Ortolano also provides blog posts and progress updates for the DCC on the website.

In brief:

Upcoming meetings in Dryden

The Dryden Town Board is scheduled to meet on Sept. 11 and 18, each time at 6 p.m. at the Dryden Town Hall at 93 E. Main St. in Dryden. The public is invited to attend either in person or via Zoom.

The town’s planning board is slated to meet on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the town hall. This meeting can also be attended either in person or Zoom.

For more information, contact the town hall at 607-564-9981. Meeting agendas are available at dryden.ny.us.

The Village of Dryden Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet in person at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Dryden Village Hall at 16 South St.

‘Paws to Read’ event at the library on Sept. 6

The Southworth Library in the village will hold a “Paws to Read” event on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10:30 a.m.

The library invites the public to read with dogs from Cornell Canine Companions. 

Registration for the event is recommended. For more information, go to southworthlibrary.org.

Book club to meet on Sept. 18

The Books & Brew club is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Hopshire Farm and Brewery at 1771 Dryden Rd. in the village of Freeville.

September’s theme is “School and Education.” Some suggested books are on display at the Southworth Library in the village of Dryden. 

To register for the club, go to southworthlibrary.org.