Town Still Working To Regain Helicopter Technologies Building

September 18, 2008

The Town Of Century’s attorney is still working to get owner Georges Van Nevel to sign Helicopter Technoligies’ building back over to the town to avoid court.

The Town of Century has filed mortgage foreclosure papers against Helicopter Technologies, Inc. in Escambia County Circuit Court.

Mayor Freddie McCall said that Matt Dannheisser, the town’s attorney, has forwarded papers overseas to Van Nevel with instructions on how to sign the papers at a U.S. embassy.

“Mr. Van Nevel has contacted him (Dannheisser) and agreed to send the deeds back to him,” McCall  said. There have been issues, McCall said, with getting Van Nevel to sign the papers at a U.S. embassy due to long lines of people seeking embassy services. As a result, McCall said, Dannheisser has forwarded additional instructions to Van Nevel how to proceed with the paperwork using a notary.

The Helicopter Technologies building in the Century Industrial Park was financed by the Town of Century in 1991 for $420,000 according to filed documents. The company currently owes the town about $450,000, Mayor Freddie McCall told the told council at the July meeting at which the council voted to begin emergency foreclosure proceedings.

Dannheisser located Helicopter Technologies owner Georges Van Nevel (pictured left, file photo) in Hong Kong and contacted him by email, McCall said.

“He answered some, but he did not respond to others,” McCall told NorthEscambia.com. In those emails, Dannheisser forwarded legal papers to Van Nevel to sign the building back over to the town, the mayor said, but Van Nevel never signed and returned the papers. The town was prepared to forgive Van Nevel’s entire debt if he signed the building back over to the town.

At the council’s  July 7 meeting, the mayor told the council that Van Nevel told him that the building would be sold to a Pensacola buyer by July 11. NorthEscambia.com learned on July 10 that the sale was off and the buyer was backing out.

McCall said that a clause in Helicopter Technologies’ contract with the town gave the town the option to “take back” three lots around the building, and he said the town would take possession of those lots.

Pictured top: The inside of the Helicopter Technologies building in the Century Industrial Park earlier this year. NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photo, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News