Actions vs. Stated Intent

At the time Hamilton wrote this:

• PR firm active for 6+ weeks (since Jan 21, 2025)
• 110-email coordination thread ongoing
• Engagement plan in version 2
• FCA DRAFT watermark removed 5 days prior
• Press release 3 business days away
• "Alternate Facilities Plan" on agendas since January 2023

The City denied every capital maintenance request for six years — $94,370 total, 5 of 5 requests. This includes safety items: stage lighting that was shorting, an awning detaching from the building, and a 26-year ADA violation ($40,000 request). They then cited the resulting deterioration as grounds for closure.

Revenue target was set at $106,271 when actual collection was $6,129 (5.8%) — a target designed to fail.

The COOP emergency plan (Continuity of Operations Plan, updated April 2025 — after closure) still lists OFH as an alternate emergency work location for all four Parks divisions with an active emergency binder on site.

If unsafe, why is it still designated as the place city employees go during an emergency?

IFB 10861-25 — an Invitation for Bids for sprinkler maintenance at OFH — was issued February 24-25, 2025, two weeks before the closure announcement.

You don't bid sprinkler maintenance on a building you're about to condemn.

73-80% of named adult members were city-connected — 11-12 of 15 named adults were sitting on city-appointed boards or were active city employees. Selection was entirely by city staff — the same people who planned the closure. No public application, no public criteria, no lottery.

The "neutral facilitator" (S&A) was under contract since December 2024 to manage the closure messaging — key messages, engagement plans, utility bill inserts, embargoed materials.

Scope was pre-constrained: "Renovate or rebuild." Not "should this building be closed."

• "Alternate Facilities Plan" on agendas since January 2023
• OFH designated a "satellite site" internally by July 31, 2024
• PR firm engaged by December 2024 (3 months before public knew)
• Recurring strategy meetings started January 21, 2025
• Press release went through 8 revision rounds in a single day
• Embargoed materials distributed the day before the announcement
• Staff reaction to first mention of facility assessment: "Facility Assessment — dun dun dun!"

When a community advocate visited OFH on March 20, 2025, staff member Tory Watson filed a 5-point surveillance report that was escalated through 5 levels to the Mayor in 13.5 hours. The next day, a Code of Conduct reminder was distributed with an escalation framework: Verbal Warning → Suspension → Permanent Expulsion.

Teens making "save the teen center" signs were reported. Staff eavesdropped on teen conversations ("well we have a lawyer now"). A community member's contact info was physically confiscated from the front desk.

Computational analysis of 7,573 PRA documents reveals:

• 911+ emails mathematically proven withheld (reply exists → original existed)
• 4,109 emails (54.3%) reference attachments — zero attachments produced
• 5,047 exact duplicates inflating production (79.7% padding)
• 5-month email blackout during critical decision period
• Mayor's outgoing emails: 8 unique vs. 1,838 mentions of her name
• Steve Fields (political opponent): 325 received, 114 proven outgoing, zero produced
• PR firm: 178 reply-chain proofs per consultant, zero outgoing produced
• 96% of raw .msg files corrupted in a pattern consistent with programmatic manipulation
• No privilege log provided

Equipment was listed on GovDeals (public surplus auction) starting February 25, 2026. No documented right of first refusal was offered to teens or families who used — and often donated — the equipment.

Former Mayor John Marchione and Mayor Ives testified that "priceless artifacts such as the city's first vault and local newspapers" remain inside the building. Community volunteers who built the building in 1952 stuffed local newspapers in the cinder block walls.

The FCA was held in DRAFT for 10 months, presented to Council while still a draft, then finalized only when needed for the public narrative. The DRAFT watermark was removed February 27, 2025 — 11 days before the announcement.

"We had left the summary report in draft form at the time of the presentation to council in case you guys had any edits, but I don't think you had any edits to implement. I just removed the DRAFT watermark." — Sarah Partap, Meng Analysis

Staff were explicitly forbidden from sharing assessment details. Staff Talking Points state staff CANNOT share "detailed information about the facility assessment findings."

New zoning adopted June 28, 2025 designates the OFH site as a Transit-Oriented Development Focus Area: 144 feet height / FAR 8.0, enabling 300-400 luxury residential units. The Downtown Redmond Link light rail station opened May 10, 2025. Both events occurred after the closure.

The "rebuild" vote has no budget, no renderings, no timeline. Former Mayor Ives: "The public has not seen renderings for the new 13 Million dollar building, nor heard about funding which appropriately should be part of council's budgetary decisions."

Nothing legally binding prevents a future decision to sell the cleared lot instead of rebuilding.

Mayor Birney sits on the OneRedmond board alongside:

• Tim Overland — NLG CEO, Board Secretary
• Amy Webber — NLG Agent
• Mary Morrow — NLG Managing Member, Past President

NLG is headquartered at 16508 NE 79th — literally next door to OFH at 16510 NE 79th. NLG donated $12,200+ to the Mayor's campaign — the single largest donor bloc. NLG controls 22 contiguous acres under active redevelopment adjacent to the OFH lot.

This was not a public-facing statement. It was an internal acknowledgment that the entire communications operation was message control, not community engagement. Staff were managing language, not seeking input.

Combined with the suppression of staff communications ("far too direct and will create a lot o[f]..." — Hamilton censoring a planned email to teens), the record shows a coordinated information management operation running alongside the "public process."

The Old Firehouse was a free, open-access teen center for 30 years. No registration. No fees. No credit card required. Kids walked in off the street and had access to music equipment, art supplies, social space, mentorship, and community. The entire philosophy was zero barriers to entry — especially important for low-income teens.

The RCCMV "replacement" now charges for nearly everything:

The $0 listings are not programming. They are either mental health services that would cause a PR catastrophe if monetized (YES Counseling, Queer Youth Group) or cosmetic “themed day” labels that aren’t actual activities.

The math: A teen who attended OFH every Thursday for a year paid $0. Under the RCCMV model, the same teen now pays $260/year just for weekly social nights ($5 × 52). Add one recording session ($110) and one live show ($88) — activities that were free and unlimited at the Firehouse — and the annual cost is $458 per teenager. For the families this center was built to serve, that is a wall.

Capacity: The DIY Recording and DIY Live Show programs accept 6 teens each. The Old Firehouse served hundreds. The "replacement" serves a fraction of the original population, charges them for the privilege, and requires online registration with a payment method — excluding any teen who doesn’t have a parent willing to navigate a booking system and enter a credit card.

Source: All pricing verified from the City of Redmond’s official registration system at app.amilia.com/store/en/city-of-redmond on April 4, 2026. Program details: Teen Services category, RCCMV location. Ice Cream Social listing.