Except as provided in §C of this regulation, to receive a State grant, a senior center shall meet the following mandatory requirements: Population. An urban senior center shall serve a catchment area which has a population of at least 10,000 elderly citizens. A rural senior center shall serve a catchment area which has a population of at least 2,000 elderly citizens. Hours of Operation. The senior center shall operate at least 6 hours a day. Days of Operation. An urban senior center shall operate at least 250 days per year. A rural senior center shall operate at least 150 days per year. Proximity of Proposed Center to Existing Center. The senior center may not be located within a 3-mile radius of another senior center, unless the centers are under the jurisdiction of different local governments. At the discretion of the Director, one or more of the mandatory requirements in §A of this regulation may be waived, if the applicant provides evidence that the type of work proposed is classified as a priority project under Regulation .05 of this chapter.