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Business $103K Behind In Rent To Century, Seeks To Buy Building To Save Jobs
November 23, 2011
A business in the town’s industrial park is about $103,000 behind in rent payments to the Town of Century. And to keep the business afloat, the town wants to sell the building to the company.
Donald Dockens and Century Millworks entered into their current lease for the 10,825 square foot metal building in Century’s industrial park in 2002. His monthly rent was set at $1,500, but he said Tuesday that he missed a small provision in the lease that called for a regular annual increase on the monthly lease rate. Since 2002, he also missed numerous rent payments that now total about $103,000, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.
McCall said that his administration only recently discovered the long-forgotten lease provision for annual rent increases, and he has been working with Dockens to recoup the missed rent payments.
“We don’t want to run him off; we want to keep him and jobs in Century,” McCall said. “The town has been paid well more than it cost to build the building years ago, so we are willing to work with him.”
Tuesday morning at Century Millworks, there was a steady hum of saws and other machinery running as employees worked to craft the parts needed to make cabinet doors. The company, Dockens said, builds new cabinets for contractors, builders and individuals, “anyone with money”.
There were eight employees hard at work Tuesday morning, using high-tech, computer-controlled equipment to craft cabinets.
“They are good folks, hard working folks,” Dockens said, his clothing covered in sawdust where he had been out in the plant working alongside his employees. “I want to keep them working.”
Century Millworks had employed as many as 15 people years ago, but that changed when the economy, and the home building industry, faltered.
“When the economy tanked, our business tanked,” he said. “I won’t tell you that we are not behind on payments. We are, but we are looking for a way to stay afloat and keep these jobs in Century. This town has been good to us.”
With a current monthly rental rate of $2,500, the $103,000 owed to the Town of Century would amount to over 41 months of past due rent. However, it has not been 41 straight months since Century Millworks made a payment, according to McCall. Eight monthly payments were received in each of the years 2011, 2009 and 2008; 10 payments were received in 2010.
“It’s been a payment missed here, a payment missed there,” McCall said.
The Century Town Council has approved a plan that would allow Dockens and Century Millworks to purchase the building with a lower monthly payment and stay in business.
Once a proper appraisal and legal documents are completed, the town will sell the building to Dockens for an estimated $150,000 plus the $103,000 in back rent. The approximate $253,000 purchase price will be financed by the town at 4-percent interest, dropping the monthly payment to just over $1,500. In the event Dockens were to default on the purchase agreement with the town, Century would foreclose on the property.
Council President Ann Brooks, who said, “It’s something that I recommend that we do”, abstained from voting on the plan because Dockens and Century Millworks are clients of her accounting firm.
“I’m looking forward to getting this worked out,” Dockens said, “and keeping these jobs.”
Pictured top: Peggy Nelson uses computerized equipment to cut cabinet doors Tuesday morning at Century Millworks. Pictured top inset: Century Millwork’s building, owned by the Town of Century. Pictured middle inset: Century Millworks owner Donald Dockens at a computerized moulder machine. Pictured bottom inset: Cabinet doors ready for a final sanding. Pictured below: Century Millworks uses a variety of high-tech equipment to craft cabinet doors for a variety of clients. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
19 Responses to “Business $103K Behind In Rent To Century, Seeks To Buy Building To Save Jobs”
Of course, if price drops — demand rises. People who wouldn’t even consider cabinet work at the rate of $1,000/unit might buy plenty at the rate of $100/unit. Thus there is little or NO market for the most expensive method and you might create a market for the cheaper method.
That’s why work performed in one place resulting in an expensive product might never sell, but the same work performed elsewhere resulting in a product of equal quality but lower price might sell many units.
That’s also related to mechanization. If you could make a hundred units while paying one man to operate the machine versus only making ten units while paying a hundred men to do it all with stone axes or by gnawing on the wood, you can make sales.
Now if you could train beavers to do the work…… ? ?
Char,
The Towns people of Century are forcing other cabinet shops to layoff their workers.
If you do not have the overhead of rent to pay out, you can under bid your work so that the other cabinet shops don’t get the work and layoff their people.
Even if the back rent is allowed to be paid in increments from hence forth……………
He is still being subsidized by the taxpayers in Century.
It is not fair either way, but x amount of cabinet works are going to get laid off, either here or down the road a few miles because there is only x amount of demand.
REGARDING:
“David surely you didn’t really think I meant that legally? If that were the case all of them would be in Jail.”
Why? Most traitors never go to jail or are even shot. If a thing is treason, it is treason. The Constitution even defines treason and the requirements for proving treason. If trading with other nations were treason, you would be a traitor every time you filled your gas tank, using fuel from the Middle East or Venezuela or Angola or Mexico or Canada. After all, the same fuel or a substitute COULD be produced from American coal or from your corn flakes, although at a higher price, lower efficiency and greater carbon dioxide emissions.
Do you feel like a traitor?
Further, the money they receive for what they sell you doesn’t just sit there. They use it to buy things from the USA, things which produce jobs. They might not be the same jobs, but they are jobs. Quite often they’re just buying bombs to kill each other with, but jobs are jobs. Right?
You wish there were more jobs locals could do which paid well. So do I. I’m just not willing to call those who didn’t provide those jobs traitors (traders to you), knowing that is worthy of a death sentence. I don’t think people should be killed for not hiring me. Nor should such be accused of a crime which carries the death sentence.
David for anti-inflammatory language
@ someguy I am still laughing. I would think that some people who claim to be so highly educated would PROOFREAD their posts before posting. I know I have posted and made errors. But I never claimed to be smart. Just blood bought/born again.
How is it that Century, who want a website to “sell” the town to business, cannot keep track of late rent payments? Or do they just look the other way?
I’m with Jane too. Can someone please explain?
Ahh, glad you clarified that they are TRADERS… they exchange goods and services for other goods and services. I sure am glad to know you weren’t talking about TRAITORS, who betray other’s trust and/or is false to an obligation or duty.
One question though, why are you so mad that they make their living by trading goods and services? It perplexes me..
David surely you didn’t really think I meant that legally? If that were the
case all of them would be in Jail. I’m talking about companies that
have 60,000 employees each over seas that are doing jobs that have
been taken from Americans strictly for the purpose I outlined earlier
and my personal opinion of same. TRADERS!
REGARDING:
“- – - companies who were trader enough to take their businesses to other countries so they could have greater profits ”
It isn’t really treason to invest in businesses in more than one country. If it were, then Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and officials would be traitors for building manufacturing facilities in the USA rather than Japan or Korea .You and many like you act like companies are slaves or property of the USA. They aren’t.
I remember when Senator Kerry was speaking to a bunch of factory workers telling them he would stop the buying of American businesses by foreign companies. He got no applause because the people in front of him were only employed because some Italian company had bought it before it had to close.
He was telling them that he would have them all laid off if he were President.
David for reason
HEY COME ON NOW WERE WOULD THE PEOPLE GO FOR JOBS.WORK OUT THE DEAL AND GET ON WITH LIFE….
@Jeeperman
Those machines didn’t lay off anybody. The economy has laid off millions
all over this country. You owe that to the poor running of this country by
Presidents, Congressmen, Representatives, and companies who
were trader enough to take their businesses to other countries so they
could have greater profits and pay their C.E.O’s more money in a year
than some Americans will make in their entire life time. The town is not
subsidizing anyone, because no one else would rent that building and
he still owes his back rent. There are no takers for anything in Century.
I have no doubt that this man hated to lay off his employees and would be glad to get a contract big enough to re-hire every one of them. Have you ever looked
a man in the eyes and gave him his walking papers? Nobody WANTS
to do that.
He has not run out on his bill, I respect that~
This is some more of the ever inefficient record keeping at city hall.this is not the first”oversight” that has been found over the years with different businesses..At least three people overlooked the clause that was in the contract….mr.Dawkins,his cpa and whoever is in charge of the accounts receivable at the town hall. My CPA knows exactly what loans we have,when they are do and how much interest is on any given day.
Those two machines pictured would have paid all of the missed rent.
And how many employees got let go because of those machines?
He is $103,000 behind in rent. Which means the Town of Century is subsidizing his business and profits and also hurting the competition that does not get a free ride in rent.
Subsidize this shop so that some other cabinet shops can not compete and layoff their employees instead?
The Town of Century should sell this to Mr. Dockens for $1. The land, building, and most of the equipment was paid for by state grants. Other programs forgive grant payments after so many years. Century Millworks has been in the park from the beginning. This company and Home Health care provided the seed money to loan out to several businesses in Century. Other than Century Care Center, Century Millwoks has done its part in providing jobs.
Maybe we can get a grant and a line of credit to pay his rent!! What do you think??
I agree with Char! Renegotiate the rent down in an annual contract and include a separate amount for back rent. Selling the building is just going to get lawyers involved in the sale and eventual forclosure!
Oh come on, REALLY! I’m with JANE. The man can’t pay $1500.00 plus now, and he won’t be able to pay it next year either. You and the whole town knows
that, and that building isn’t getting any fresher or that town ( I have
drove through it).
IF you really want to to something for this NICE MAN (your words because
I don’t know him) Then wipe out the debt pertaining to the little claus
nobody seemed to care about when they let him get this far behind
and just add up what he owes in the original back regular rent.
LOWER his rent now to say $1100.00 a month and then add another $100.00 a month back rent on a separate contract. Keep up with the times and give
this guy a real chance. If he can’t make it now, he certainly won’t
be able to catch up AND pay taxes on the building and you know
you will just foreclose in the end.
Take stock at what happens to empty building and empty towns,
is that really what you want. If you keep this up he is DOOMED to
FAIL. The economy is not done with this down turn and we need
to help our own and that will help all of us.
You can renegotiate the contract every year until things are better.
Better some than NONE~
Why not really be the decent town with a heart! I know the town
needs money but you can’t get blood out of a turnup. Take the
load off him and let him thrive.
We sign lots of documents without thoroughly reading them. This gives an example of the dangers thereof and the dangers of not at least living up to what we first promised to do.
David for careful
If he can’t pay his rent where is the money coming from t buy the building???
it looks like century is really trying on this one. Mr. Dockens is a good man, and I appreciate the efforts my town is taking to keep him in business. Good job mayor!