Skoufis Seeks $1.3M to Turn St. Patrick's Gym Into Woodbury Municipal Hub

State Senator James Skoufis included $1.3 million in the State Senate's 2026–27 budget to purchase the former education center and gymnasium at St. Patrick's Church in Woodbury and convert the long-shuttered property into a full municipal and community building for the town.

Woodbury is a town and village in Orange County with a population of 12,197 at the 2020 census. In state government, the village is represented in the 39th Senatorial District by James Skoufis. The St. Patrick's facility sat dormant after the Catholic Archdiocese closed it in 2023 during the merger of St. Patrick's with Sacred Heart Parish in Monroe, leaving a prominent community building without a purpose and the town scrambling for office space.

As recently as January 2026, the Town Board moved to authorize the Town Supervisor to send a letter of intent for purchase of the St. Patrick's building, signaling that the acquisition had been an active priority well before Skoufis secured the Senate funding. The $1.3 million, if included in the final enacted budget, would cover the purchase and conversion of the education center and gymnasium into what the senator's office described as a centralized hub of town offices, serving the dual purpose of ending an expensive lease and preserving a key community property from development.

Town Supervisor Jacqueline Hernandez voiced strong support for the proposal. "The Town of Woodbury is grateful to Senator James Skoufis for recognizing the importance of this investment in our community," she said. "This proposed funding is a meaningful step toward transforming the former Saint Patrick's Church education center and gymnasium into a vibrant municipal space that will host events and activities for residents of all ages. Securing this landmark will allow us to deliver services more efficiently by centralizing operations, reduce long-term rental costs, and reinvest in a facility that will serve Woodbury residents for generations to come."

Skoufis framed the effort as both a fiscal and a cultural imperative. "I know the importance of St. Patrick's to Woodbury, and I would be thrilled to see this building remain a centerpiece to the community," he said. "I fought hard to see this funding included in the Senate's budget and I'll keep fighting to get it into our final budget; I am actively working with government partners in the Assembly and the Governor's office to support this critical project. I want to ensure Woodbury residents of all faiths are able to remain connected to this cherished cornerstone of community life."

The funding currently sits within the Senate's budget proposal and has not yet been signed into law. Skoufis said he is coordinating with Assembly counterparts and the Governor's office to carry the appropriation through to the final budget agreement. Whether the $1.3 million covers the full purchase price, renovation costs, or both has not been publicly detailed, nor has the town released a timeline for conversion or an estimate of the annual lease costs the acquisition would eliminate. Those figures, along with confirmation of which municipal entity, the Town of Woodbury or the Village of Woodbury, would formally hold title to the property, remain open questions as the state budget process moves toward a final deal.