CALL TO ACTION
Decision to Demolish + Reconstruct OFH at same location
On 11/18/25, Redmond City Council passed a motion to "Rebuild the Teen Center on the Same Location. Prioritize Expedience in Construction, Centering Teen Voices in the Design Process, and Including Music Performance Space and a Dedicated Recording Studio to Continue the Old Firehouse Teen Center Legacy".
We absolutely understand the disappointment we are faced with, many of us pushed for renovation and the move to rebuild means that the building that holds so many memories will be demolished. However, in many ways this is a substantial victory! Because we organized and spoke up in the way we did, we substantially altered the trajectory of this process. Now we have the opportunity and the obligation to ensure that this new facility can be as valuable for future generations as it has been for us in the past.
This is not over, and it won't be over until teens have somewhere to belong.
THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER:
Tuesday January 6th 2026, at 6 p.m - City Hall Meeting
Speak & Rally at City Hall (rally at 6:00pm; sign-up to speak 6:30pm; council meeting and items from audience session 7pm)
Make a public comment at City Council: join us in making our voices heard to the Mayor and council-members
In Person: Arrive a bit early to register, and then deliver a 3-minute max public comment expressing why it's vital that we save OFH (feel free to borrow language from our petition and saveofh.com)
Remote: Email cityclerk@redmond.gov on Tuesday before 3pm with your Name and Phone Number to be called when it is your turn to speak.
Written: Email cityclerk@redmond.gov on Tuesday before 3pm PT, with subject line "Items from the audience" and keep it 500 words max.
January 17th 2026 Concert at Soul Food Coffee in Redmond, WA 6-8pm
E-MAIL THE DECISION-MAKERS:
Director of the Parks Dept., Loreen Hamilton: lhamilton@redmond.gov
Loreen is the key administrative decision-maker that chose to close OFH without engaging in any teen outreach or gathering any hard evidence that the building has issues that necessitated its closure. Ms. Hamilton has terrorized OFH staff and volunteers, threatened retaliation to anyone who speaks out against her plan to close OFH, and is continuing to try to evade our public records requests and hide information from the public. Call for her to step down now!
Mayor Angela Birney: mayor@redmond.gov
Mayor Birney joined Greater Seattle Partners in March 2025, just before announcing the closure of OFH. The community cannot help but wonder if there is already a deal in place with a developer who has its eye on the $5million piece of real estate the OFH sits on. Ask Mayor Birney to show she is on the right side and remove Loreen Hamilton for misleading the City regarding the OFH closure and engaging in a campaign of intimidation to silence City workers.
We are hopeful City Council will help to stop the unwarranted closure of OFH - they hold the power to reject the plans pushed by Parks Director Loreen Hamilton and Mayor Angela Birney.
Melissa Stuart: mstuart@redmond.gov
Angie Nuevacamina: anuevacamina@redmond.gov
Osman Salahuddin: osalahuddin@redmond.gov
Jessica Forsyth: jforsythe@redmond.gov
Vanessa Kritzer: vkritzer@redmond.gov
Awareness & Benefit Show: TBD *If you are interested in helping organize or promote this event or you are a band, musician, or artist that would like to participate please, reach out to us at saveofh@gmail.com
DONATIONS: Funds will be used for organizing events and outreach, printed materials, and investigation efforts, such as hiring an independent building inspector to verify the condition of the building and the cost for any repair or restoration if needed. If you would like to donate directly to our cause, please visit: https://www.givesendgo.com/SaveOFH
