Hey folks, welcome back to the Osprey Update, our weekly newsletter and showcase for what we’ve been working on.

We’re getting back into the swing of things after our long holiday break, so we’ll keep it short this week as we get warmed back up. Today we’ve got a story that haven’t seen anywhere else: the forthcoming split between the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center and Sound Generations, the senior services provider that effectively runs it. More on that below.

The year is young, the days are short and there’s a lot to be worried about — just look at nearly every alert that’s pushed across your phone. (Or don’t. Please don’t.)

You could warm up with some coffee (I’ve been hanging at Richmond Beach Coffee Co. lately,) and a good book. I recommend “Automatic Noodle,” a novella by author and journalist Annalee Newitz. It’s a story about robots and noodle restaurants, sure, but at its heart, it’s a story of overcoming trauma to create something special with people who matter to you. Head to your bookseller of choice (Ridgecrest Books! Edmonds Bookshop! Third Place Books!) and tell them David from The Osprey sent you. They won’t know who that is, but try it anyway.

Thanks for reading.

— David Mendez

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center celebrated its 50th year in operation in 2025, but change is on its way. Sound Generations, the center’s operator and King County’s largest senior services provider, has decided to narrow its business focus; senior centers in Shoreline, Ballard and the Snoqualmie Valley will be left to figure out their paths forward by 2028.

Check it out here.

The Shoreline School District has placed two levies on the February 10 ballot, asking voters to help fund programs and services that aren’t fully covered by state or federal money.

Proposition 1, the Educational Programs and Operations Levy, would fund staffing, professional development, support staff, inclusive and multilingual learning supports and help pay for extracurriculars like the arts and athletics teams.

Proposition 2, the Replacement Tech Levy, would upgrade district networks and cybersecurity, maintain and replace student and staff computers and devices, fund classroom tech and help train staff, among other objectives.

If both levies pass, they are estimated to add $0.22 per $1,000 of assessed home value in 2027 — or $3,200 in taxes to a home valued at $1 million.

For more information, visit the Shoreline Public Schools information page here.

Bloodworks Northwest, the blood bank and research institute serving 90 hospitals across western Washington and Oregon, announced a “Code Red,” or major blood shortage, across the region last week. Per Bloodworks, donations have “dropped sharply,” and the blood bank has imported blood from other regions to keep up with local needs.

Bloodworks is especially asking for donations from Type O donors — O+ blood can give to any positive blood type; O- donors are universal donors — and from platelets donors.

Bloodworks has a dozen drives scheduled over the next four weeks, all within 5 miles of Shoreline, including drives planned at Town and Country on Feb. 2, Shoreline City Hall on Jan. 21, the Dale Turner YMCA on Jan. 28 and the Lake Forest Park Town Center on Feb. 3. Bloodworks NW’s North Seattle Donor Center, on Northgate Way just east of Aurora Avenue, is open for donations seven days a week.

For more information on where to donate blood and to register, visit BloodworksNW.org.

Presenting, without comment, a non-exhaustive list of things we’re looking at for future updates: the forthcoming Richmond Beach Foods, the Jan. 29 remembrance for Edwin Pratt at Shoreline College (and Edwin Pratt Park!), the bills being sponsored by our state reps in Olympia, and the February 10 ballot.

What are we missing? Email us about it!

Thanks for reading the Osprey Update. Please reach out at [email protected] with any questions, events, story ideas or news tips. It’s our community, I’m just writing about it.

See you again soon,
David