Old Firehouse teen-center process nears recommendation; council study session set for Nov. 12

Parks staff on Oct. 28 briefed the committee on progress toward a recommendation for the Old Firehouse teen center following an extended stakeholder engagement process.

Lindsay Falkenberg, parks planning manager, said staff and consultants convened multiple focus groups and stakeholder meetings (five stakeholder-group meetings and two focus-group sessions) that together reached 57 unique participants, including teens, providers, parents and alumni. The process evaluated options including renovation, full rebuild and rebuilding on the current site; staff reported scoring exercises and breakout discussions to weigh advantages, timelines and community visioning.

Falkenberg said the stakeholder group would finalize its recommendation in a meeting the day after committee and that the final recommendation and a fuller report — including meeting notes, appendices and the consultant analysis — will be included in the Nov. 12 study-session packet. The report will present the recommendation, context, theme summaries from focus groups, and appendices with meeting materials. Staff said the council could expect to take up a decision on whether to renovate or rebuild on Nov. 18, but council leadership reserved time in December in case more deliberation is needed.

Council members discussed attendance data and whether historical use figures are reliable; staff said they will provide what usage data are available and noted pandemic-era impacts on attendance. Falkenberg confirmed the stakeholder materials already include provisions for minority recommendations when a subset of the stakeholder group dissents, and that a minority recommendation will be included in the materials if warranted.

Staff asked council to submit any specific questions they would like addressed at the Nov. 12 study session so the packet can be prepared accordingly.