One of the two city-operated senior centers that Tacoma plans to close has received a one-month extension.

Lighthouse Senior Center will now remain open through Jan. 30. It was originally slated to close at the end of December along with Beacon Senior Center.

The City Council in early December approved $30,000 in contingency funding to operate Lighthouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for services that will include daily lunches. Users of Beacon will be invited to attend Lighthouse.in an arrangement that city officials said is an attempt to help seniors adjust to the phase-out of the centers and Metro Parks Tacoma’s takeover of senior services citywide.

Despite opposition from users of the senior centers, officials contend a plan announced last fall for transferring the facilities’ programs to the parks district will improve senior services overall.

Mayor Victoria Woodards said extending the Lighthouse center for a month will help smooth the transition for seniors “to a new and improved routine.”

“Change is hard,” but it’s also an “opportunity to enhance programming and expand services to more seniors in more places across our city,” said Councilwoman Sarah Rumbaugh.

The city is considering other uses for the centers’ sites, with housing programs among the possibilities.

Point Defiance-Ruston Senior Center, also owned by the city, is run by Franke Tobey Jones, a nearby retirement community.