That was the decision made by the city council Monday night (April 11) when members decided not to pursue other options.

Read a complete report of the council discussion on The B-Town Blog Tuesday.

In a surprise move, Discover Burien Executive Director Steve Gilbert resigned at Wednesday night’s (Jan 26th) Steering Committee Meeting, to “pursue full-time opportunities,” according to Lori Alden, President of the Board.

Gilbert, who was hired Oct. 28, 2009 (read our original coverage here), will leave his position effective Feb. 28th. After that he will begin a full-time sales job at The Haakenson Group, which sells furniture to the government and has offices in Tukwila and Spokane.

“We’re thrilled with the work he’s done in the one-plus year he was in the position,” Lori Alden said Thursday (Jan. 27th). “The entire board is really happy for him.”

“It’s been an absolute privilege to work for such an amazing community,” Gilbert told us over the phone Thursday. “I cannot say enough good things about this town – the people, the opportunities – Burien has the ability and drive to basically do whatever it wants!”

Gilbert also shared some of the problems he faced because the position was part-time: “Being part-time often allowed some things to fall through the cracks – emails, phone calls, etc. – and it was tough to keep up with everything. It was a bit of a challenge.”

“If it wasn’t for a really terrific job offer, I would not have considered leaving Discover Burien,” Gilbert added. “There’s so much more to be done there, and I wish I had the opportunity to stay and do the great things we’ve been building up to. If you look at this organization, it’s got an amazing board of directors full of passionate people, an incredible membership, which grew 28% in 2010, as well as many great volunteers that help out. Debra George (Event Manager), is just absolutely phenomenal, and she brings such an amazing skillset to the table. I’d also like to call out lead volunteer Jane Matz, who I had the privilege of working with from Day One. I want to add that this is a purely economical decision based on the needs of my family.”

It took over six months for the board to find and hire Gilbert, who replaced former director Patti Sader. This was after originally announcing Kim McKoy as director (read our coverage here). McKoy had to step down before assuming the role due to family issues.

“There are lessons to be learned from the previous search that will be useful to the board,” Gilbert said. “They won’t have a problem filling this position.”

If you want to stay in touch with Steve, be sure to “Friend” him on his Facebook Page.

On a personal note, we’ve really enjoyed working with Steve over the last year or so, and despite the fact that his boundless energy and seemingly endless enthusiasm will be sorely missed, we wish him much success in his new position.

Burien City Council members discuss candidates being considered to replace Kathy Keene on Monday, Nov. 15. Photo by Michael Brunk.

Burien City Manager Mike Martin announced late Friday afternoon (Nov. 19) that city council members have narrowed to three the field of candidates to replace Councilwoman Kathy Keene, who will resign to retire in Florida effective Dec. 31.

Council members interviewed all five finalists at a special meeting on Nov. 15, then submitted their top three choices to Martin.

The final three are:

Gregory Duff – Burien Planning Commission member, past president of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, and concrete mixer truck driver.

Andrea H. Reay – production administrator with Seattle Opera.

Gerald F. Robison – attorney with a law practice in Burien, president of White Center Jubilee Days.

Duane Douglas Camerota, owner of Duane’s Garden Patch and past owner of Cugina’s Produce, and John C. Elliott, a quality systems project manager with Boeing, were the two other candidates.

Council members are expected to interview Duff, Reay and Robison again, perhaps before the Nov. 22 council meeting. The B-Town Blog will report the date and time for these interviews Monday morning.

They have until the first meeting in January to select Keene’s replacement, when that person will be seated on the council.

Photos by Michael Brunk.

by Ralph Nichols

King County will cede previously contested Puget Sound Park to Burien when the city annexes much of the North Highline unincorporated area, county Executive Dow Constantine and Mayor Joan McGilton announced Wednesday (Jan. 6).

The joint announcement ends a seven-week impasse between the city and county over the fate of the five-acre park at 1st Ave. S and SW 126th St, and clears the way for Burien to proceed with the final annexation process.

McGilton said annexation probably will take effect on April 1. The city council is expected to vote on that date at their Jan. 11 meeting.

Residents in the southern half of the North Highline unincorporated area voted by a sizeable margin last August to be annexed by Burien. The merger includes transfer of county property in the annexation area to Burien, which the city now will maintain, including streets and parks.

But city officials learned on Nov. 20 that former county Executive Kurt Triplett, in one of his final actions before leaving office, offered to sell Puget Sound Park to the King County Library System.

The library system, which was interested in building a new facility at that site and consolidating the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries there, signed a letter of intent to purchase the land for $600,000.

Burien lawmakers, however, were adamant that the park rightfully should go to the city as part of annexation. On Nov. 23, they postponed a vote to approve March 2 as the effective date and delayed annexation until this issue was resolved.

Constantine, who as a county councilman represented Burien, North Highline and West Seattle, inherited the conflict when he took office on Nov. 24. Before taking office, he asked Triplett not to proceed with the sale, and Triplett complied.

Earlier last year, Constantine twice wrote letters supporting Burien’s claim to Puget Sound Park if the city annexed part of the North Highline area (read our coverage here and here).

“A deal’s a deal, and it was the city’s understanding of the annexation process that it would receive six parks from the County, including Puget Sound Park,” Constantine said in the joint announcement.

“After detailed discussions, I agree that transfer of the park to the city is the right thing to do and should occur as part of that larger annexation.”

McGilton told The B-Town Blog, “I am very pleased that King County understood what Burien was saying, that we needed to be a part of the process in order to acquire Puget Sound Park.

“We are very happy that our new King County executive listened to the concerns of Burien and ultimately agreed that this was the best possible outcome for the city of Burien, for our soon-to-be new residents in North Highline, and for King County as a whole.

She added, “This part of our community has been underserved by parks. We look forward to bringing Puget Sound Park up to Burien standards for the residents who use this facility.”

In the joint statement, McGilton noted the transfer of the park, which still needs to be approved by the King County Council, “sets the right tone for this new era in King County government. I thank the County Executive for his leadership to reach a fair agreement on the parks transfer.”

City lawmakers had made it clear they considered the attempt by King County to sell the park, which was in the works before Constantine took office, a breach of trust. City Manager Mike Martin declared at that time that annexation would not happen until Burien got Puget Sound Park as part of the deal.

The city council also delayed adopting budget amendments for 2010 that account for additional revenue and expenses due to annexation until the park issue was resolved.

Scott LeVielle

by Ralph Nichols

North Highline Fire Chief Scott LeVielle announced on Monday (Dec. 21) that he will step aside, clearing the way for adoption of a reduced but balanced 2010 budget for Fire District 11.

The $4,817,185 operating budget for next year then was adopted unanimously by fire district commissioners.

LeVielle’s resignation will take effect on Feb. 28. His current annual salary is $186,362.

Burien/Normandy Park (District 2) Fire Chief Mike Marrs will become chief for both departments. Other fire chief services and training and inspection services also will be consolidated under Fire District 2.

“With that … we are in the black,” Fire Commission Chairman Ron Malispino said before approval of the budget.

“A lot of effort went into this [agreement with the fire chiefs' and firefighters' locals of the IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters), and with Fire District 2]. A lot of effort. We need to do it and we need to do it right away. We can’t just operate anymore.”

The departure of LeVielle, who became chief at the end of 2006, and the department’s training secretary – coupled with consolidated services with Fire District 2 – will save North Highline $581,720 in salary savings next year.

Both IAFF locals made salary and benefit concessions as part of the budget-balancing process, including reducing overtime and capping sick pay payoffs. Other cuts include the reduction of a variety of department expense items from $216,600 down to $159,220.

“It was a good collective bargaining process,” LeVielle told The B-Town Blog. “When you reach consensus, that is the best process. It does work.

“It makes sense for the two departments to work together,” he continued. “It made sense to have one chief and to cut costs, including support services, over the next two years. I needed to step down to keep the department’s budget above water.”

LeVielle’s move will save two or three North Highline firefighter positions – no firefighters currently employed by the department will be laid off.

While the consolidation agreement between the Burien/Normandy Park and North Highline departments is not a merger, “there is a lot of operational consolidation, functional consolidation, of existing operations at a higher level,” Marrs said.

“This is an important first step toward making everything work and enhance existing services. This is a big commitment by District 11 to continue its level of service.”

Marrs added that it’s “good for District 2 citizens given the large area of north Burien and the [North Highline] annexation area,” but a lot of work to implement the consolidation remains to be done.

The consolidation of administrative services will take place by the end of February. Training, inspection and other operational services are expected to be fully concluded by the end of 2011, LaVielle said.

LeVielle replaced former North Highline Fire Chief Russ Pritchard when he retired at the end of 2006. In a move that generated considerable controversy at the time, District 11 commissioners increased Pritchard’s salary from $125,664 to $198,000 for the final months of 2006 as a retirement package for him.

Under a revised retirement-compensation policy, LeVielle will receive one year’s salary plus standard buyouts for accrued vacation and sick leave.

Fire District 11 commissioners would have faced the need to reduce services without the collective-bargaining agreement and the consolidation agreement with Fire District 2.

Reduced assessed property values in North Highline, the impact of annexation of part of the North Highline area by Burien in 2010, and administrative costs all contributed to the department’s budget problems.

The B-Town Blog requested copies of the North Highline department’s detailed 2010 budget and the two separation agreements. The budget was made available late Monday afternoon and the separation agreements will be available after Dec. 31 if, under state law, the respective individuals do not file a legal objection.

by Ralph Nichols

Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett spoke to the Burien City Council Monday night (Dec. 7th) about the Puget Sound Park issue, expressing Executive Dow Constantine’s hope that an agreement can be reached that will meet the needs of all parties.

Jarrett said it is his understanding that this will include the King County Library System, which wants to buy the park – located at 1st Ave. S. and SW 126th St. in the North Highline unincorporated area that will be annexed by Burien next year – for a library site.

Such a library would consolidate the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries at the park location.

However, Burien wants the park to become part of the city’s park system once annexation occurs.

Following Jarrett’s presentation, council members agreed to continue a discussion about the park with county officials.

They also delayed adoption of the city’s amended budget for 2010 and the setting of a date for formal annexation to take place. Council members have said they won’t set a date for annexation until the park issue is resolved, and the timing of annexation will affect the budget.

A full report will appear on The B-Town Blog on Tuesday, Dec. 8th.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Read our previous coverage of the Puget Sound Park issue here.
  

by Ralph Nichols

Fire District No. 2 commissioners voted at their Dec. 2 meeting to purchase the Bonney-Watson funeral chapel property at 900 SW 146th St. for a new fire station for the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department.

All three commissioners were “advocates for the new site,” Fire Chief Mike Marrs told The B-Town Blog.

Marrs said earlier that once a property for the new fire station was acquired, “design and permitting will start in earnest around the first of the year.”

This timetable should permit construction to begin in December 2010 or January 2011, with the fire department moving into its new station about 12 months later.

Cameron Smock, president of CEO of B-W Memorial Corp., which owns this and other Bonney-Watson chapels in King County, said “the fire department approached us unsolicited” to inquire about purchasing this site.

B-W CEO Cameron Smock and Fire Chief Mike Marrs

“Bonney-Watson has been serving Burien for a long time, the fire department needed a location for its new station, and this seemed like the right thing to do for the community,” Smock noted.

Another reason they decided to sell is that, with their chapel and cemetery in SeaTac and a chapel in Federal Way, “we will continue to serve Burien.”

Fire District No. 2 and Bonney-Watson are expected to issue a joint press release about the purchase Friday morning (Dec. 4).

Voters in Fire District No. 2 approved a $25 million bond issue in November 2008 for construction of new downtown and Normandy Park fire stations. This includes property acquisition and equipping the stations.

Burien needs a new fire station to replace the outdated existing facility at the corner of SW 151st Street and 8th Ave South.

The new fire station will be at the current Bonney-Watson site at 900 SW 146th Street.

A top priority for the fire department has been a downtown location where response times will be no more than seven minutes anywhere in the district. In addition, a location near major arterials that provide direct access to State Route 509 was desired.

The location of the Bonney-Watson property meets both requirements, and also provides “plenty of on-site parking for us, even when station public meeting rooms are in use,” Marrs said.

Some Burien City Council members were concerned about a possible net loss of public parking when the fire district earlier considered another property in the downtown area.

The Normandy Park fire station at 135 S. Normandy Road will be built at that location. The existing station will remain in operation during construction.

Here’s a link to a PDF of the press release.

Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department reported Monday (Nov. 9th) that Nicholas Francisco, a SeaTac man who went missing in Feb. 2008, has been found alive and well, living in another state, and under a new name.

Francisco, 28 at the time, told colleagues at a Seattle ad agency on Feb. 13, 2008 that he would be heading to a local Safeway and then the Southcenter/Tukwila Costco before going home to his pregnant wife and two children to bake cookies in SeaTac.

Francisco’s car was found a few days later abandoned at a condominium complex in Federal Way, and an extensive investigation was conducted to see if he had been a victim of foul play.

Nothing turned up, and subsequently his wife, Christine, filed for divorce, citing “willful abandonment that continues for a period of time” and a “history of acts of domestic violence … or an assault or sexual assault which causes grievous bodily harm or the fear of such harm” as her reasons.

Christine has a daughter, 4, and a son, 2, and was also pregnant at the time (meaning she has three kids now).

Last week detectives developed information that he was in fact alive, had changed his name and was living outside of Washington.

“Since he did nothing illegal and this case is basically closed, we won’t reveal where he was found,” Urquhart said to The B-Town Blog. “But let me tell you – there was something incredibly unique about this guy that made bloggers go crazy. In all my years, I have never seen such a reaction. I’m glad this case is closed.”

And yes, the King County Sheriff’s Department has indeed closed their investigation.

Obviously, Francisco’s incident caused a lot of people a lot of grief, and a lot of time and money was spent on his alleged “missing” case. We’re certain that today, while many are relieved to know that he’s still alive, many are not too happy with his decision to just up and leave like he did, abandon his wife and kids and start a new life elsewhere.

UPDATE 10pm 11/9/09: We just discovered the following post on a forum devoted to this case that appears to be be from Francisco’s ex-wife, Christine, who claims the former-Nicholas is now living in LA:

This is Christine Carter. I have a few things to say to the lot of you. On this board and other places as well I have been FALSELY accused of lying, adultery, slander, hypocrisy, and of course murder. I’m sure the list of false accusations is longer but this is the general list. First let me say that I have prayed for each one of you that your hearts would be softened, your tongues kinder and your eyes be opened to the truth. It seems that God has not answered that prayer, yet. I know what all of you think of me. Admittedly at first it bothered me until I realized that you don’t know me and you don’t know Nicholas. You only know the pictured that I painted of him. For me you saw blips here and there while I was surviving the biggest tragedy of my life. When I married Nicholas it was forever. We took vows before God to love each other unconditionally and honor each other until death. When I took that vow I meant it. When Nicholas took it I truly believed that he meant it as well. I loved Nicholas with all of my heart. No evil thing you say about me can change that. No matter what kind of woman I am or you think I am Nicholas took vows and he knew me for two years before he married me. He chose to marry me. No one held a gun to his head to make marry me and stay married to me for seven years and have three beautiful kids with me. Those were things that Nicholas and I chose to do and we chose together. Believe what you will. God knows the truth as does Nicholas and myself. When Nicholas disappeared I couldn’t imagine that he walked out on me and our kids. The reason I could not imagine it is because I would never do it and to me it was unthinkable and I truly believed that Nicholas felt the same way. Why would I think Nicholas felt that way? well it’s simple. He told me over and over and over how much he loved me, how glad he was he married me and that he would always be with me. So no that night and for weeks following I couldn’t imagine him walking out on me. Then his secret life was discovered and my whole world was shattered all over again. Everything I thought was true was a lie. Many of you believe you know everything about this case. Well i’m sorry to be the one to tell you this but honestly you all know very little. What you think you know are just things in your imagination built off of tiny details you chose to pick at and blow way out of proportion. There are many details that have not been shared with you and will not be shared with you. You simply don’t deserve it. People who love me and who have supported me and my kids through this know the details and they are all who need to know. Perhaps someday in a book you will read all those juicy details you hunger for. Until then you will just have to continue using your imaginations. So why did I come on here and make this post? I had a few things I wanted to say to you before I tell you that Nicholas is alive. Yes that is right Nicholas is alive and well. He was recently found living in Los Angeles California. I will not give you the details on how he was found because I don’t want to give other dead beat dads any ideas. I will say that his money was garnished and given to me in a child support check to which he fought to have at least 80% of it returned claiming a hardship. The check was not for a sum as to cause a man a hardship. I will say that for a man that runs out on his pregnant wife and two kids no hardship for him could be worse than what he put us through. A board discussed this hardship he claimed and they denied it. The board stated it was not a hardship and thus a check was sent to me. I know you all have many questions that I have the answers to but history says that no matter what I tell you none of you believe a word from me. At this point I believe that the lot of you owe me a huge apology for all of the nasty, untruthful, hateful, disgusting things that you have said about me not only on here but in every way and to every person you possibly could. I am also considering filing suit on many of you for defamation of character. Yes I have a very good lawyer and yes I have a good case. So how do you feel knowing that Nicholas is alive and well and living under an alias just to avoid supporting the three children he willingly and wantingly fathered? How do you feel? As a final thought: Nicholas chose to lead a double life behind my back to which he started long before he ever met me. He chose to commit adultery. He chose to lie. He chose to walk away that night and not look back. He chose to break my heart. He chose to financially kill me. He chose to steal from his children. He chose to break the hearts of his kids. He chose to not call and let anyone know he was okay for the last 21 months. He chose. He chose this. I did not choose this. My kids did not choose this. Nicholas chose for us and that is not okay. What Nicholas did is evil and dark to put it mildly. I know that all of my words here will be twisted. Oh well. I am not perfect and I never claimed to be. I did not ever do anything to drive Nicholas away. He chose to never talk to me. He chose to run and hide. He chose to be selfish. I am the one that chose to stay and love these amazing kids through everything. I may not be a dream wife but I am far from evil and dark.

__________________
__________________
Things are not always as they appear

Here are some videos that were produced and posted online:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Read our previous coverage of this story here.

UPDATE Sat. 11/7/09: The Seattle Police Department released more information Saturday about Christopher J. Monfort, the suspect shot Friday in Tukwila after being approached about his car, a Datsun B-210 that matched a vehicle seen near the scene of Officer Timothy Brenton’s death on Halloween.

He was shot on the scene and is currently in serious condition and in custody at Harborview Medical Center.

According to the latest reports, Monfort’s apartment had a cache of weapons, including bomb-making materials. He is now believed to have “worked alone” in the fatal shooting of Officer Brenton, and is also a suspect in the Oct. 22 firebombing of seven Seattle police vehicles.

Monfort once attended Highline Community College in Des Moines.

Here’s the release:

On the afternoon of November 6^th , 2009, Seattle Police Homicide detectives received a tip about a Datsun 210 matching the description of a possible suspect vehicle used in the slaying of Officer Tim Brenton. Detectives responded to a parking lot in the 13700 block of 56^th Avenue South in Tukwila. While detectives were investigating the scene further an adult male suspect emerged and pointed a gun at them. Detectives fired on the suspect in self defense, striking him at least once. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. No detectives were injured.

The Tukwila Police Department is handling the crime scene investigation and the King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is conducting the officer-involved shooting investigation.

SPD detectives obtained search warrants to further examine the crime scene. Evidence located inside the suspect’s apartment included improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a rifle, and various other items of evidence.  Detectives now believe that this individual is responsible for both the murder of Officer Brenton,  the attempted murder of Officer Sweeney, and the arson attack on October 22^nd at the Charles Street facility. Detectives are asking the Prosecutor’s Office for formal charges. The Datsun that detectives were looking for is registered to the suspect.  Our investigation into the murder of Officer Tim Brenton and attempted murder of Officer Britt Sweeney continues and we are still receiving and following up on tips.  We have received numerous tips from the public and we encourage everyone to continue to call us with any information they may have regarding this investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call either 911 , or the tipline at (206) 233-5000.  Those wishing to remain annonymous are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a text to CRIMES (274637).  Your text message should include “TIP486″  to ensure proper routing.  Calls are taken 24 hours a day.

PREVIOUSLY: Friday afternoon (Nov. 6th), shortly after Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton’s memorial concluded, a suspect named Christopher J. Monfort was shot outside his apartment building in Tukwila, prompting a massive outpouring of police to the area.

Police were apparently serving a search warrant on Monfort, 41, when he pulled out a weapon. He was shot on the scene and is currently under custody at Harborview Medical Center.

Monfort apparently attended Highline Community College in Des Moines, where he ran for student office in 2003.

According to HCC’s “Thunderword” student newspaper dated Nov. 20, 2003 (PDF link to issue), Monfort’s platform was:

“Christopher Monfort said he’s running to make the student body more aware of the civil liberties lost under the Patriot Act and the current political administration (Bush).

Monfort said students should vote for him because he actually cares about the world and wants to make a positive change.”

Monfort also studied law enforcement issues at the University of Washington.

Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton was shot and killed as he sat in his patrol car with an officer-trainee after a traffic stop on Capitol Hill on Oct. 31. Thousands of officers from around the country attended a memorial Friday afternoon for him at KeyArena in Seattle.

by Ralph Nichols

The return of Burien Nissan at 16042 First Avenue South, which closed for business in May, is anticipated in mid-September.

“We understand it’s going to be a Nissan agency, just like it was before,” Dick Loman, economic development manager for the City of Burien, said Wednesday (Sept. 2nd). “We don’t know when they will open, but anticipate it will be soon. We probably will know more by the end of the long weekend.”

Other sources indicated that the dealership will open its doors again in mid-month.

A job ad posted August 31 on Craigslist (see our previous breaking coverage here) solicited applications for all positions at Nissan dealerships “gearing up for mid-September opening.” The ad described the owner of these dealerships as “an award winning Puget Sound Automotive Dealer Group.” Applications could be emailed to Car Pros, and a job posting on the “CarProsJobs.com” website lists Burien as one of the locations hiring.

Car Pros owns Kia and Suzuki dealerships in Tacoma and a Hyundai dealership in Seattle, along with a dealership in Carson, CA. Bradley Wolf was listed in the ad as a Tacoma contact for Car Pros. Attempts by B-Town Blog to contact Wolf on Wednesday were not successful.

Weeds are growing like weeds at the empty Burien Nissan lot, which may be re-opening under new ownership soon.

Burien Nissan, which previously was owned by Rainier Automotive Group, lost its “flooring” (aka financing) and saw the entire inventory reclaimed by Nissan in a 24-hour period in March. The business closed its doors less than two months later, reportedly when new financing couldn’t be arranged.

Loman, however, said his office doesn’t know the “relationship between Car Pros and Nissan, if there is any.” But, he added, Burien Nissan seems to be preparing to interview and hire staff, and “that’s very good news for us, obviously.”

“It will be good to have another new car dealer in town selling automobiles. Not only will it create jobs that we lost (when Nissan closed in March) but sales tax income will be coming back to the city again. So we’re very pleased at what we hear.”

Loman noted the site – which had a $5 million remodel not long before the closure – is already set up for an automotive dealership, signage already is in place, and it’s unlikely that the dealership will need any new permits from the city.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• BREAKING: Might Burien Nissan Be Re-Opening Soon?
• BREAKING NEWS: Burien Nissan Is Now Officially Closed
• Burien Nissan Expecting New Financing In “A Few Weeks”
• UPDATE: More Information On Burien Nissan’s Inventory
• Burien Nissan Loses Entire Stock, Now An Empty Lot