Summer activities have been curtailed at the Sandys Community Centre, leaving area youth with little social options but to hang out at night.

Six months after a vehement protest outside the Boaz Island facility over cutbacks, parents were informed of a reduced summer schedule for the Centre, effective July 1.

Meanwhile, Somerset’s prized Sandys 360 sports and recreation centre remains shut down with its future uncertain — leaving limited summer diversions for young people.

“It’s mismanagement,” said Carol Jackson, a Boaz Island resident who formerly volunteered at the Community Centre; she said schedule changes had affected a sobriety group that met on the premises.

“I’m disappointed to say they have closed the Centre from Mondays through Thursdays. It’s now open for the evenings only on Friday and Saturday. They are saying that they can’t fund security and staffing, but to me, having worked there it’s not a problem. Now we have all these children through the week on the streets doing nothing.”

The mother-of-four has three sons who work during the daytime but have few social options outside of the familiar haunt at the Community Centre. Her daughter also attends.

“Where are they supposed to go? There is yet to be anything mischievous, but from a parent’s perspective, what do we do?” asked Ms Jackson, who said she had been waiting to speak with Community and Culture Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin — but felt compelled to put out an “SOS, for Save our Sons” in the meantime.

Ordinarily the Centre opens its doors from 6pm to 10pm.

A summer camp programme for young children has continued, but the older regulars now get two days a week. With the advent in January of cutbacks to its hours, a spokeswoman for the ministry said there had been issues with the enforcement of safety policies at the Centre, including harsh language directed at staff.

Ms Jackson said that the implementation of the new schedule, about 60 young people had come to the Centre on Friday when it opened for them — showing that “the numbers are there”.

“I’ve been living in this community for 20 years and I know what can happened. We need a better solution than closing doors.”

One of the main social hubs in the area is Woody’s Bar and Restaurant, which has renovated, brought in live music and improved security, but Ms Jackson said more options were needed.

“Sandys 360 was a lovely place for them to go, but then that closed,” she said. “I don’t want my children going to the Prison Officer’s Club. There’s not a lot else.”

The lights were turned out at Sandys 360 late in 2013, after financial troubles plagued the state-of-the-art new sports centre.

According to Melvyn Bassett, director of Sandys 360, the Bermuda Government continues to provide a baseline budget to keep the facility maintained. Dr Bassett said that the accounting firm KPMG had finished a review of Sandys 360’s financials, and the electricity had been restored even though the centre remains out of use.

“The Government held a Cabinet meeting to address the situation and determine where to go from here,” he said. “The last we heard, they were still hoping to find some money for Sandys 360.”

Asked if there were any plans to reopen it, Dr Bassett said: “I don’t know. We are hoping so. But it all depends on the finances.”