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Century Council Discusses Van Nevel, Other Ordinary Business
February 19, 2008
Helicopter Technologies still has not made a monthly payment for its use a Town of Century building in the town’s industrial park, Town Clerk Dorothy Sims reported to the council Monday night. The company was the focus of a government investigation that resulted in a federal raid back on January 9.
At the January meeting, Sims reported that the company and owner Georges Van Nevel was eight payments behind at $3,257.61. With the addition of a February payment, that would put Helicopter Technologies $29,318.49 behind.
“I think we need to be thinking about how much time we are going to give him,” Council President Ann Brooks said. “We can only give him so much time or you are going to have to give him an ultimatum.”
In a recent exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, Van Nevel said “The payment to the city. That one bothers me. I will recover and make it right.”
Mayor Freddie McCall stated that he would attempt to have Van Nevel attend the council’s next meeting on March 7.
In other business, the council heard brief presentations from Myra L. Simmons (pictured above right), a candidate for county school superintendent and John F. Hartman (pictured above left), a candidate for Escambia County Commission District 5.
Simmons said she wants to be school superintendent because “Escambia County needs new management”. Hartman said he is looking for a way “to serve my county”.
In the mayor’s report McCall reported that a sewage pump was in need of $5,560 of repairs. It would have cost the town $10,050 to replace the pump that is one of two pumps that pump treated wastewater from the sewage treatment plant to the Escambia River.
The council approved several requests by the mayor, including the purchase of t-shirts for town employees to replace uniform shirts that are currently rented. Six shirts each for ten employees will cost the town $950, McCall said. That will represent an annual savings $15,000 per year in uniform rental costs.
In other actions, the council:
- voted to purchase a bucket attachment for a backhoe for about $1,800 to increase efficiency when cleaning ditches around the town, and to purchase a $600 machine for sharpening chainsaw blades.
- voted to sell several vehicles to the highest bidder. The vehicles include at 1994 Ford F250, a 1991 Ford F150, a 1989 Chevrolet 1500 pickup and a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria police car.
- voted to impose a penalty on persons that rent city buildings and do not turn off the lights and heating or air conditioning when they leave the building.
- heard from council member Henry Hawkins who suggested that the town purchase a garbage truck and get into the garbage business, replacing the service currently offered under contract with the town by Allied Waste. No action was taken.
- heard from council member Nadine McCaw who pointed out pothole problems at several locations, including Highway 4 near Century Woods Apartments and Jefferson Avenue near the railroad crossing. McCall said the potholes would be repaired during the next period where the town went several days without rain.
- heard from several residents of Backwoods Road that complained about water pressure in their area. McCall said the situation would be fixed, but first the city had to obtain right of way easements before installing new water lines.
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