Hi Everyone,

Thank you again for your support in protecting Firestone Plant 1. Your voices continue to help bring real attention to this moment.

Quick update:
We had to cancel the protest a few weeks ago due to high winds and rain, but we will be hosting a new one this Saturday, May 2nd, from 2pm-4pm at Firestone Plant 1. We’ll also be sharing educational materials and discussing environmental remediation alternatives, adaptive reuse strategies, and what a more responsible path forward could look like for the site.

Why this still matters:
The project is continuing to move toward final approvals that could allow demolition to begin soon.

Critically, the city continues to move forward without due diligence:

1. Refusing to conduct a comprehensive independent feasibility study
2. Failing to fully evaluate adaptive reuse options 
3. Providing limited transparency around cost assumptions
4. Engaging the community only after key decisions had been shaped, rather than as a part of 
5. Advancing a proposal that reduces preservation to disassembling the clock tower which was the least favored path by the community at the meetings we attended

So we are continuing to call for:

1. A pause on demolition
2. An independent, transparent feasibility study
3. Investment in environmental remediation beyond capping
4. Meaningful community engagement before final decisions

How you can help right now:

1. Join us at the rescheduled protest: Saturday, May 2nd, 2pm-4pm (please let us know if you will be attending by RSVPing to friendsoffirestonefactory@gmail.com) 
2. Share the event with friends, neighbors, and networks
3. Contact Akron City Council and ask them to pause demolition
4. Continue spreading awareness 

This is about more than one building now, it’s about how decisions get made in Akron, and whether they are driven by data, transparency, and community voice. We deserve planning and economic development practices that are sustainable, forward thinking, and transparent - regardless of whether a specific grant is awarded for it. 

We hope to see you there.

-Laura
Progress Through Preservation