SYRACUSE -- Budget troubles are forcing a popular senior center in Syracuse to shut its doors for good.

The Ida Benderson Senior Center welcomes about 80 seniors a day. It is a place for them to socialize, eat and exercise.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner says the city simply can't afford to keep the center open. The mayor met with seniors at the center Tuesday afternoon to discuss the closure. The media was not allowed in.

Miner says the Salvation Army on South Warren Street will pick up the senior services, and it will cost the city much less.

"Our hands are tied, and rather than blame people, we've been proactive and come up with an arrangement to make sure they get the services they deserve and need" said the mayor before the meeting Tuesday.

But it's a move that's stirring a controversy among the center's regulars and members of the community.

"It's an important institution. It’s not just a set of services. The people here help run this center, they contribute in all sorts of ways and they support one another. You can't just move that, you can't transfer that somewhere" said Denise Nepveux.

The center is scheduled to close on October 1.