POST FALLS - The Post Falls Senior Center will be closed on Tuesday and Thursday starting next week and three employees at the nonprofit have been laid off due to budget woes.

Alison McArthur, executive director, said multiple factors, including donations being down, rising food costs and an ongoing payment for facility improvements, led to the cutbacks.

"This is something we didn't take lightly," McArthur said. "It weighed heavy on our hearts.

"We're trying to be good stewards of the business."

McArthur said it has been estimated that the center can save between $100 and $125 per day by being closed on Tuesday and Thursday. She said she hopes the move is temporary, but time will tell, based on income.

"I know part of this has to do with the economy," McArthur said. "We hear that every day from the seniors."

She said exercise and weight-loss classes will be moved to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A dance class will still be held on Tuesday nights, however.

The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Three employees, including a full time administrative assistant and home delivery coordinator, a part-time kitchen worker and a part-time thrift store worker, have been laid off.

McArthur said the in-house meals and Meals on Wheels programs won't be affected. She said the nonprofit wants to protect those programs as much as possible.

"The people receiving Meals on Wheels are the most vulnerable seniors," she said.

The thrift store will remain open Monday though Saturday.

McArthur said the center still owes about $80,000 for recent facility improvements, including water damage repair and a new furnace. The monthly payment for the improvements is $3,000.

"Those were emergency events that happened that we didn't budget for," she said. "If we didn't have that payment, it would be a huge help."

The center raised its suggested donation amount to $4 from $3.50 a year ago. While raising the suggested amount again has been bantered, there's hesitancy because many seniors can't afford the current suggested donation, McArthur said.

The meal cost will remain as a suggested donation, not as a mandatory cost, she said.

She said the average in-house lunch attendance is down 20 to 30 people from last year.

McArthur said an anonymous "Guardian Angel" donor has been donating between $1,200 and $3,500 every three months for the past two and a half years, but those funds have stopped. She said rentals of the center are also down.

McArthur said the center has made efforts to raise funds. The Gold Rush fundraiser in March brought in $20,000.

"We were able to pay off a lot of bills, but it only lasts so long," she said.

The center has planned a craft fair in November, but is working on other fundraisers for this summer and fall. It has also started a community garden to help the center's residents, but produce won't be harvested until the fall.

Rick Currie, executive director of the Lake City Center in Coeur d'Alene, said his facility hasn't had to make such cuts.

"We've survived because of our community support," he said. "Without that, we would have some major problems.

"Do we still have to keep a vigilant eye on our expenses? Absolutely."

He said a new potato bar fundraiser on the fourth Friday of each month, a dance program and casino trip every other month are examples of income that help stave off cuts.

"They're not barnburners, but every little bit helps," Currie said.