Stakeholder group to recommend renovate-or-investigate-rebuild for Old Firehouse teen center; council debate over scope and selection

City parks staff told the Parks and Environmental Sustainability Committee on Sept. 23 that a stakeholder process is underway to produce a community-informed recommendation on the future of the Old Firehouse (OFH) teen center and that staff expects to present a final recommendation to council on Nov. 12 with a potential decision on Nov. 18.

Lindsay Falkenberg, parks planning manager and project manager for the engagement process, said the stakeholder group includes 23 participants drawn from teens, service providers, community organizations, commissioners, parents, city staff and alumni. The group will meet six times; Falkenberg told the committee it has met twice and has four meetings scheduled through October. The group is using a multi-objective decision analysis tool to weigh factors and produce a recommendation on either renovating the existing building or investigating a rebuild. Falkenberg said location is not within the stakeholder group's…