Swampscott Senior Center reduces operating hours

SWAMPSCOTT – The Swampscott Senior Center has reduced its hours of operation effective this week due to budget cuts.Activities Coordinator Donald Wescott said the center had to reduce the number of hours it’s open each week because the Council On Aging had to slash $4,000 from its operating budget due to mid year budget cuts.The senior center, which is located in the rear of Swampscott High School, had been open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Effective immediately, the senior center will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but the center will only be open from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. The reduction in hours will continue through the end of the fiscal year and into FY’10 as well, according to Town Administrator Andrew Maylor.Wescott said existing programs would continue despite the reduction in hours.”We haven’t canceled any activities,” he said. “We were able to move things around. We’re not getting rid of any of our programming.”Wescott said the three hours a week reduction in hours would save $4,000 between now and June 30, which is the end of the current fiscal year.The cuts in the operating budget for the senior center were part of the operating budget cuts for the current fiscal year by $150,000, which were made due to 9C cuts made by Gov. Deval Patrick. Section 9C of Chapter 29 of the General Laws requires the governor to reduce spending whenever his administration determines that there will not be enough revenue to pay for the spending authorized in the budget. The governor can use 9C powers at any time to cut funding in parts of the government that are under his control. But he can not cut local aid, the courts, the legislature or other constitutional offices without legislative approval, which he received.