While closures of Butler County senior centers may not be on the table, four sites may be open fewer days.

Beth Herold, county Area Agency on Aging administrator, is proposing that the Chicora, Evans City, Mars and Slippery Rock centers be open three days a week instead of five.

Herold said the seniors using those sites would select which three days of the week those centers would be open.

The Butler and Cranberry Township centers would remain open five days a week.

The Mount Chestnut, Winfield Township and West Sunbury sites would stay open two days a week.

However, the county only would provide meals at West Sunbury while West Sunbury Presbyterian Church would operate the center.

For the Zelienople center, the county would work with the Passavant Community Senior Living Community to operate that center.

Herold said in an interview the changes would save enough money to continue operating the 10 centers while providing more activities.

“We’re trying to save money, so we can enhance services,” Herold said.

She estimated saving would be roughly $80,000 annually by making the changes.

Herold on Tuesday made the recommendation to the agency advisory board, which is set to decide next month whether to support the recommendation, after assessing respective site attendance and speaking with those using the centers.

If the advisory board approves Herold’s recommendation, it will be presented to the county commissioners for consideration.

The recommendation is the culmination of efforts by the agency to maximize services to seniors in the face of decreasing attendance.

A group of more than 20 seniors attended the county commissioners meeting Wednesday to protest any changes to the centers.

“I do not think we should have changes to the senior centers,” Connie Collier of Chicora said. “I’m asking the county to help us out.”

Kathy Klook of Butler Township agreed.

“The seniors are happy,” Klook said. “There’s no reason to stir things up.”

Joe Farone of Chicora said the centers should not be closed for more days than they are now.

He asked what the county could do with the space, which is being rented, for the extra days they would not be open.

Kathy Geibel of Summit Township, who uses the Butler senior center in Lyndora, said going to other places for services would be too inconvenient.

“We would like your support,” Geibel said.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said there are no plans to close any centers, which was suggested at a previous Area Agency on Aging advisory board meeting.

Under that concept, all the centers would close except for the one in Cranberry Township. A new one would open at the Clearview Mall in Center Township.

Seniors would be bused to either center if needed.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein opposes any consolidation or reduction of days for centers to be open.

Eckstein maintains the agency has not done enough to find ways to increase attendance.

“We didn’t do our due diligence,” he said.

McCarrier would not support Eckstein’s motion to make no changes to any center for a year.

Eckstein encouraged seniors to attend both the agency and commissioner meetings this week via a letter using county letterhead dated April 15.

He urged more people to attend the agency meeting.

According to the letter, “Delegate someone to bring tar and feathers to this meeting.”

Eckstein said during the commissioners meeting he was not trying to incite civil unrest with his phrasing.

“I used humor,” he said.