EXHIBIT 10.2
REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AND SALE
AGREEMENT
No.
(WITH EARNEST MONEY
PROVISION)
Soterra Florida
Timberlands
THIS REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AND SALE
AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into this
28th day of March, 2005, by and between Soterra LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company, whose street address is 439A Katherine
Drive, Flowood, Mississippi 39232, and whose mailing address is
Post Office Box 18, Jackson, MS 39205 (hereinafter collectively
“Seller”), and Plum Creek Timberlands, L.P., a Delaware
limited partnership whose address is 999 Third Avenue, Suite 4300,
Seattle, Washington 98104 (“Purchaser”).
The parties agree to the following
terms and conditions:
1. Timberlands and Other Property
to be Acquired .
1.1 Description of Assets. In
consideration of the mutual covenants set forth in this Agreement,
and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are acknowledged, and subject to all terms of
this Agreement, Seller agrees to sell and convey to the Purchaser
and the Purchaser agrees to purchase from the Seller and take title
to the following:
(a) Real Property . That
certain real property situated in Holmes, Gadsden, Jackson, Calhoun
and Liberty Counties, State of Florida, as shown on Exhibit
“A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4” and incorporated herein by
this reference as though fully set forth, being a portion of the
Florida Timberlands of Seller (the “Property”),
including Seller’s rights, privileges, advantages, and
appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any way appertaining
thereto, but only to the extent belonging or appertaining to the
Property, including but not limited to all of Seller’s right,
title, and interest (i) in and to the reproduction, merchantable,
pre-merchantable and unmerchantable timber, growing, lying,
standing or felled, timber interests and timber rights located on
or appurtenant to the Property; (ii) in and to any mineral, sand,
oil, gas, hydrocarbon substances and gravel and other rights on and
under the Property which have not previously been reserved, severed
or conveyed by Seller or Seller’s predecessors in interest;
and (iii) all rights of Seller in and to any development rights,
air rights, water, water rights, ditch and ditch rights appurtenant
to the Property but subject to the exceptions and reservations
described in this Agreement.
(b) Contracts . All contracts
relating to the operation of the Property, including without
limitation operating contracts, stumpage contracts, leases,
permits, licenses, governmental consents and agreements, approvals
and clearances, agreements for construction of roads or
other
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improvements, rights under any
payment, performance, or bonds relating to or associated with the
Property, to the extent assignable (hereinafter, the
“Contracts”). A schedule of timber cutting contracts
that were “open contracts” as of July 2, 2004 and
thereafter including deeds conveying real property, other than
easements and rights of way, since July 2, 2004 is attached as
Schedule 1.1(b ) and incorporated herein by this
reference as though fully set forth (the “Timber Cutting
Contracts”).
(c) Access Rights and
Easements . All rights of Seller in and to any access rights,
rights-of-way and easements appurtenant to the Property, to the
extent assignable (hereinafter, “Access Rights and
Easements”).
(d) Personal Property .
Seller’s maps, property books, aerial photos, plans,
drawings, specifications, renderings, engineering studies,
biological studies particular to the Property, grading or drainage
studies, environmental and hazardous waste studies and reports and
related data and materials in Seller’s possession relating to
the Property, furniture or office equipment (other than electronic
equipment including, but not limited to, televisions, refrigerators
and computers, which shall remain property of the Seller, but
Seller shall remove said property from the Buildings prior to the
closing of parcel A-4) located within the Buildings, other personal
property and equipment used by Seller in its Florida operations,
and timber inventory, GIS and IFMS data with respect to the
Property (not including proprietary software) and one (1) truck
selected by Seller (“Personal Property”). Purchaser
agrees to make all forest management (silvicultural) records
available to Seller upon Seller’s request and to not destroy
the same for five (5) years from the date of the Closing without
the prior written permission of Seller.
(e) Buildings . The buildings
located at 4962 Old Spanish Trail, Marianna, Florida, 32448, being
the location of Seller’s Florida Timberlands operations
(hereinafter, the “Buildings”).
1.2 Assets . The Property,
Contracts, Access Rights and Easements, Personal Property and
Buildings are sometimes collectively referred to as the
“Assets.” Before Closing, Seller and Purchaser shall
agree upon an allocation of the Purchase Price among the Assets
(land, timber, and personal property) and shall utilize the agreed
upon allocation for all income tax purposes for this
transaction.
2. Purchase Price
.
(a) The purchase price for the
Assets is Thirty Eight Million Nine Hundred Fifty-Three Thousand
Fifty-Five Dollars ($38,953,055) (“Total Purchase
Price”). The Total Purchase Price is subject to adjustment
pursuant to Paragraphs 5(b), 5(d), 6(d), 6(f) and 10 hereof. The
Assets may be purchased in more than one phase (each, a
“Closing”) and will consist of sales of four (4)
tracts, with a specified value for each tract being the purchase
price (“Purchase Price”) for that tract, (as mentioned
above and legally described on Exhibit “A-1, A-2, A-3,
A-4” attached). The Purchase Price shall be payable in
immediately available funds on the Closing Date for the sale and
the acquisition of the Assets as follows:
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(i)
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Each Closing
will consist of Assets valued according to Schedule
5(b).
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(ii)
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C
ASH T RANSACTION . Purchaser shall wire transfer the funds
consistent with the Escrow Instructions.
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(iii)
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N
OTICE OF C
LOSING . Closings on each of the four (4) tracts are
scheduled to occur on the following dates (unless accelerated as
provided herein): November 15, 2005, February 15, 2006, May 15,
2006, and August 16, 2006 (respectively, the “Closing
Dates”). Seller has the right, in its sole discretion, to
accelerate one or more of the Closing Dates and advance a Closing
Date by providing Purchaser with a written Notice of Closing, at
least sixty (60) days prior to said Closing. Seller’s Notice
of Closing shall be sent to Purchaser, with a copy to the Escrow
Agent, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit
B . The four (4) tracts, described on Exhibit “A-1,
A-2, A-3, A-4”, will be closed in the order indicated on the
Exhibit. The foregoing notwithstanding, parties may mutually agree
to hold a Closing on an agreed upon date prior to any initially
scheduled Closing Date. While Closings on the four (4) tracts may
take place before the scheduled Closing Date, all Closings shall
occur on or before August 16, 2006 unless otherwise mutually
agreed.
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3. Earnest Money Receipt .
Purchaser hereby deposits with the escrow described in Paragraph 4
herein, the amount of Seven Hundred Seventy-Nine Thousand Sixty-One
Dollars ($779,061.00), in cash, paid or delivered as earnest money
(together with any interest earned thereon, the “Earnest
Money”), being 2% of the Purchase Price. One-Fourth (1/4) of
the Earnest Money shall be applied at each Closing (described
below).
4. Time and Place of Phased
Closings; Escrow .
(a) Upon mutual execution, the
parties shall deposit a copy of this Agreement, and such other
documents and monies, including Earnest Money, as are required
hereby into escrow established with Stewart Title Guaranty Company,
1000 Second Avenue, Suite 1620, Seattle, Washington 98104 (the
“Escrow Agent”) pursuant to an escrow agreement
(“Escrow Agreement”) attached as Exhibit
B-1 . At each Closing of each of the 4 tracts, the Earnest
Money (prorated as described in Section 3) shall be returned to
Purchaser.
(b) The Closings shall occur on
November 15, 2005, February 15, 2006, May 15, 2006 and August 16,
2006, with Seller having the right, in its sole discretion, to
accelerate a Closing and advance a Closing Date by providing
Purchaser with a written Notice of Closing, at least sixty (60)
days prior to said Closing, indicating Seller’s intention to
advance a particular Closing. Each Closing shall take place at the
offices of the Escrow Agent. Closing shall mean the point at which
all executed documentation and monies required to close the
transaction have been delivered to escrow, including signed escrow
instructions.
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5. Condition of Title and Title
Insurance .
(a) As of the Closing Date, title to
the Property is to be free of all encumbrances or defects except
those listed in the preliminary commitments for title insurance
acceptable to Purchaser as described herein.
(b) Seller shall provide one set of
global title commitments issued by Stewart Title Guaranty Company
to the Property (A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4) to Purchaser at
Seller’s expense within 60 days of execution of this
Agreement. Seller shall provide Purchaser with one updated title
commitment at Seller’s expense, which shall accompany
Seller’s Notice of Closing. Purchaser shall pay any fees to
update title from the date of the updated title commitments. Seller
and Purchaser shall each pay one-half of the title insurance
premiums for a standard owner’s title insurance policy.
Should Purchaser acquire an extended Owner’s or
Lender’s policy of title insurance, Purchaser must acquire
these title insurance policies from Stewart Title Guaranty Company
or if Purchaser elects to decline title insurance or to acquire
title insurance from another company other than Stewart, Purchaser
agrees to reimburse Seller all fees and expenses incurred by Seller
in providing the title commitments including but not limited to
search and exam fees, commitment fees and cancellation fees.
Purchaser shall have until close of business on the thirtieth
(30th) day after Purchaser’s receipt of the global title
commitments and copies of substantially all of the exception
documents referenced therein to notify Seller in writing of any
objections Purchaser has to any matters shown or referred to in the
title commitments. As to any updated title commitments, Purchaser
shall have until close of business on the thirtieth (30
th
) day after
Purchaser’s receipt of the updated title commitments and
copies of substantially all of the updated exception documents
referenced therein to notify Seller in writing of any objections
Purchaser has to any new matters and/or changes shown or referred
to in the updated title commitments that were not reflected on the
global title commitment. Purchaser shall have until the close of
business on the tenth (10 th ) day after Purchaser’s
receipt of any missing exception documents to notify Seller in
writing of any objections Purchaser has to those updated documents.
Monetary encumbrances to be discharged by Seller shall be paid from
Seller’s funds at the Closing and shall not be subject to the
“Floor” as hereinafter described. Purchaser shall not
object to and shall accept the following matters which shall be
deemed to be permitted exceptions:
(i) liens for taxes, assessments and
other governmental charges which are not yet due and payable as of
the Closing;
(ii) all land use (including but not
limited to forestry, environmental and wetlands), building and
zoning laws, regulations, codes and ordinances affecting the
Property;
(iii) any rights of the United
States of America, the State in which the Property is located or
others in the use and continuous flow of any brooks, streams or
other natural water courses or water bodies within, crossing or
abutting the Property, or title to the submerged lands including,
without limitation, riparian rights and navigational
servitudes;
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(iv) title to that portion of the
Property, if any, lying below the mean high water mark of abutting
tidal waters;
(v) all easements, rights-of-way,
licenses and other such similar encumbrances apparent or of
record;
(vi) all existing public and private
roads and streets and all railroad and utility lines, pipelines,
service lines and facilities;
(vii) all encroachments, overlaps,
boundary line disputes, shortages in area, persons in possession,
cemeteries and burial grounds and other matters not of record which
would be disclosed by an accurate survey of the
Property;
(viii) prior reservations or
conveyances of mineral rights or mineral leases of every kind and
character; and
(ix) any loss or claim due to lack
of access to any portion of the Property, provided that lack of
access does not affect more than ten percent (10%) of the acres of
the Property with lack of access being limited to tracts or parcels
identified by Purchaser where the Seller has neither legal access
nor permissive access (although unrecorded). Seller shall on or
before the delivery of the title commitments furnish Purchaser
information to Seller’s knowledge on all tracts lacking legal
access identifying the tract, any recorded easements or
rights-of-way, any unrecorded written or verbal consents to access
the tract and whether or not access has been refused attaching a
map for each tract identified by Seller.
Furthermore, any title encumbrances
or exceptions that are set forth in the title commitment to which
Purchaser does not object during the Title Review Period (as may be
extended with respect to missing documents as described above)
shall be deemed to be permitted exceptions to the status of
Seller’s title (together with the items listed above shall be
the “Permitted Exceptions”). With regard to items to
which Purchaser does object in writing within the period specified,
Seller shall attempt to cure and remove such items. If Seller is
unable or fails to cure or remove such items within ten (10)
business days of Seller’s receipt of Purchaser’s
written objections, Purchaser may either: (i) waive its objection
and proceed with closing of the affected tract or parcel; or, (ii)
give Seller notice to delete the affected tract or parcel and
adjust the Purchase Price as set forth herein. Any notice to Seller
shall be in writing and shall be given no later than five (5)
business days after expiration of Seller’s 10-day cure
period. If Purchaser fails to give such notice to Seller within the
time specified, the objection(s) shall be deemed waived by the
Purchaser. The value of any adjustment to the Purchase Price will
be determined by a computation of the number of acres utilizing the
specific values reflected on the chart attached hereto as
Schedule 5 (b) and incorporated herein by this
reference as though fully set forth. Any such excluded acreage
shall be aggregated with such surrounding acreage not to exceed
forty (40) acres unless the excluded tract exceeds forty (40) acres
or Seller establishes that a larger tract is reasonably necessary
to create an economically marketable parcel, as reasonably
determined by Seller and Purchaser. In the event Seller and
Purchaser are unable to agree upon the specific acreage to be
excluded, the parties agree to resolve the dispute through
arbitration with Larson & McGowan, Inc. making a final
determination as sole arbitrator, to which the parties agree to be
bound. The parties shall close as scheduled on the transaction
contemplated by this Agreement, adjusting the purchase price by the
disputed amount,
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escrowing the disputed amount and
close on the disputed amount and Property upon the conclusion of
arbitration (the “Arbitration Process”). In the event
of any such carve-outs, Seller shall reserve or Purchaser shall
grant such rights for ingress, egress and utilities as may be
required to access such parcel. For the purposes of all adjustments
to Purchase Price arising out of title claims or defects and
environmental claims or defects, Purchaser shall not be entitled to
request and obtain an adjustment to the Purchase Price until the
claims, or defects, arising from title and environmental claims or
defects individually or collectively could lessen the value of the
Assets by, or cause damage of, at least six/tenths of one percent
(0.6%) of the Purchase Price of each tract (the
“Floor”). If title or environmental claims individually
or in the aggregate do not exceed the Floor, there shall be no
adjustment to the Purchase Price. If title or environmental claims
exceed the Floor, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted for title
and environmental claims by reducing the Purchase Price by the
amount of the claims above the Floor subject to the Ceiling for
claims of ten percent (10%) of the Purchase Price of each tract
(“Title and Environmental Claim Ceiling”). If the total
title and environmental claims exceed the Claim Ceiling, either
Seller or Purchaser may terminate this Agreement, the Earnest Money
shall be returned to Purchaser with neither Seller nor Purchaser
having any further liability to each other.
(c) Seller has provided Purchaser
with copies of all encumbrances not of record that affect the
Property that Seller anticipates would survive each Closing (the
“Temporary Encumbrances”). Purchaser agrees to accept
the Temporary Encumbrances provided the Temporary Encumbrances are
of the type and nature customarily accepted by a purchaser in a
large timberland transaction. At Closing, Seller shall assign and
Purchaser shall assume Seller’s rights, duties, obligations
and liabilities under the Temporary Encumbrances accepted by
Purchaser pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption Agreement
substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit
C . Any income from the Temporary Encumbrances shall be
pro-rated to the Date of Closing. Notices of the assignment shall
be executed by Seller and Purchaser at Closing and mailed to the
third party benefiting from the Temporary Encumbrances.
(d) Purchaser and Seller agree to
amend this Agreement with formal legal descriptions as Exhibit
“A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4” prior to Closing. During the Title
Review Period, Purchaser has the right to verify the maps attached
hereto as Exhibit “A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4” against the
legal descriptions contained in the title commitments and the acres
contained within the Timber Inventory. In the event of
discrepancies causing Purchaser to believe acres depicted as owned
by Seller on the maps are not included within deed acres from the
legal descriptions (“Missing Acres”), then Purchaser
shall have the right to treat the Missing Acres as a title claim
for the applicable tract pursuant to the procedures and subject to
the limitations set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph,
provided however, Seller shall have the right to offset any
title claim of Missing Acres by any additional acres Seller
believes are included in deed acres from the legal descriptions
that are not depicted on the maps for the applicable tract
(“Additional Acres”). In the event the total Additional
Acres exceed six/tenths of one percent (0.6%) of the Purchase Price
(“the Floor”), then the Purchase Price shall be
adjusted upward for amount of the Additional acreage above the
Floor pursuant to the prices set forth on Schedule
5(b) . If
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Additional Acreage does not exceed
the Floor, there shall be no adjustment to the Purchase
Price.
(e) At each Closing, the Seller
shall execute and deliver to Purchaser a Special Warranty Deed (the
“Deed”) for each county in which the Property is
located, warranting title against the claims of all persons
claiming by, through or under Seller, but against none other. All
mineral rights shall be conveyed by quitclaim rather than special
warranty. The Deed shall be free of encumbrances or defects except
(i) such encumbrances or defects that may attach after the
applicable Closing Date through any person other than the Seller,
and (ii) the Permitted Exceptions. The Deeds shall be in the form
attached hereto as Composite Exhibit D and
incorporated herein by this reference as though fully set forth and
shall be delivered to Purchaser, or a person or entity designated
by Purchaser.
6. Inspection; Condition of
Property; Subsequent Acts .
(a) Subject to Seller’s
representations and warranties set forth herein and in the Deeds
and Assignment and Assumption Agreement, Purchaser accepts the
Assets “as is” and “where is,” subject to
the risks of all defects and conditions. Seller has no obligation
to repair or make any improvements to the Premises. The Purchaser
acknowledges that full inspection of the Property has been made or
will have been made by the Closing Date and that neither the Seller
nor its agents, officers, employees or assigns shall be held to any
covenant respecting the condition of the Property or any
improvements thereon nor shall the Purchaser or Seller or the
assigns of either be held to any covenant or agreement for
alterations, improvements or repairs unless the covenant or
agreement relied on is contained herein or is in writing and
attached to and made a part of this Agreement. Purchaser
acknowledges and agrees that any documents, cruises, compilations,
timber inventories, environmental audits, assessments, surveys,
plans, specifications, reports and studies (the
“Information”) made available to Purchaser by Seller
are or have been provided as information only and Seller makes no
warranty whatsoever with respect to the accuracy or completeness of
the Information. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
SELLER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
AS WELL AS ANY WARRANTY WHATSOEVER WITH RESPECT TO THE
MARKETABILITY, HARVESTABILITY, AGE, SPECIES MIX, SITE
CLASSIFICATION, BOUNDARIES OF THE TIMBER OR THE PROPERTY,
QUANTITIES, TIMBER GRDS, OR QUALITY OF ANY TIMBER ON THE PROPERTY
OR SOILS STABILITY OR CONDITIONS.
(b) Between the date of this
Agreement and the Closing Date, the Seller shall maintain and keep
the Property in substantially the same condition as existed on the
date of this Agreement except Seller shall have the right to cut
timber pursuant to the Timber Cutting Contracts and in accordance
with Paragraph 6(f). Seller shall not extend any Timber Cutting
Contracts without the permission of Purchaser. Further, Seller
shall manage and maintain the Property to a commercially reasonable
standard and shall continue to conduct silvicultural activities to
a commercially reasonable standard, subject to the provisions of
this paragraph. The Seller shall not and shall not allow others to
remove or in any way permit the removal of any
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timber, harvestable crops,
improvements, or other items from the Property other than as
provided in the Timber Cutting Contracts or as specifically agreed
in writing by Purchaser. Further, Seller may not encumber the
Property without the prior written consent of Purchaser, which
consent cannot be unreasonably withheld. Certain costs incurred by
Seller may be reimbursable at Closing as follows:
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(i)
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As site prep,
planting, herbicide treatment, or any other silvicultural activity
is planned to be performed on any portion of the Property prior to
Closing, Seller shall submit any plans for any site prep, planting,
herbicide treatment, or any other silvicultural activity to
Purchaser for prior approval, such approval to not be unreasonably
withheld. Seller must provide Purchaser at least ten (10) business
days’ notice of any such planned activity and its associated
costs to Purchaser. If Purchaser objects to such activity,
Purchaser must notify Seller in writing of the objection within
five (5) business days of receipt of the notice or Purchaser shall
be deemed to have approved the activity and Seller shall have the
right to undertake the planned activity. Seller shall pay for such
silvicultural activity conducted prior to Closing; provided,
however that Seller shall receive a credit at Closing for all costs
actually expended for reforestation and silvicultural activity that
has been approved by Purchaser.
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(ii)
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As capital
improvements (including without limitation road installation but
not ordinary repair and maintenance) are planned to be performed on
any portion of the Property prior to Closing, Seller shall submit
any plans for capital improvements to Purchaser for prior approval,
such approval to not be unreasonably withheld. Seller must provide
Purchaser at least ten (10) business days notice of any such
planned activity and its associated costs to Purchaser. The cost to
Purchaser shall be limited to the amount of the cost to be
amortized over the remaining beneficial life of the capital
improvement excluding the amortization amount for the current year
(the “Cost”). If Purchaser objects to such activity,
Purchaser must notify Seller in writing of the objection within
five (5) business days of receipt of the notice or Purchaser shall
be deemed to have approved the activity and Seller shall have the
right to undertake the planned activity. Seller shall pay for such
activity conducted prior to each Closing; provided, however, that
Seller shall receive a credit at Closing for the Cost of each
activity that has been approved by Purchaser excluding the
amortization amount for the current year.
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(c) Seller is not aware of Seller
being in possession of any environmental audits, assessments or
reports pertaining to the Property.
(d) Purchaser, its agents and
representatives, shall have the right, from the date hereof until
thirty (30) days from the date of this Agreement to go on the
Property and around and in the Buildings at reasonable times to
conduct an environmental audit and other land, soil and engineering
inspections, tests and feasibility studies utilizing current
ASTM
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standards (“Purchaser’s
Environmental Evaluation”). Seller agrees to cooperate with
Purchaser in the conduct of Purchaser’s Environmental
Evaluation. In the event the Purchaser’s Environmental
Evaluation reveals a commercially reasonable adverse environmental
condition (other than promiscuous dumps containing household refuse
and white goods of one-half acre or less for each dump site)
existing upon the Property, then Purchaser shall notify Seller in
writing of any such adverse environmental condition within ten (10)
days after the end of the foregoing thirty (30) day period.
Purchaser shall also have the right, from the date of
Purchaser’s Environmental Evaluation until thirty (30) days
from the date of Purchaser’s receipt of Seller’s Notice
of Closing, to update Purchaser’s Environmental Evaluation
(“Purchaser’s Updated Environmental Evaluation”)
as to matters occurring after the date of Purchaser’s
Environmental Evaluation. In no event shall Purchaser report any
such adverse environmental condition to any governmental authority
without first affording Seller the right to review the information
on said condition and to make independent notification to said
governmental authority if Seller believes such notification is
required. Purchaser shall have the right to delete the affected
acreage affected by commercially reasonable adverse environmental
condition (other than promiscuous dumps containing household refuse
and white goods of one-half acre or less for each dump site) from
Closing; provided, however, if the affected area is not large
enough to constitute a marketable parcel, Seller shall have the
right to enlarge the area not to exceed forty (40) acres unless the
excluded tract exceeds forty (40) acres or Seller establishes that
a larger tract is reasonably necessary to create an economically
marketable parcel, as reasonably determined by Seller and
Purchaser. In the event Seller and Purchaser are unable to agree
upon the specific acreage to be excluded, the parties agree to
comply with the Arbitration Process described in the above Section
5(b). In the event a survey is required to create such parcel,
Seller and Purchaser shall share equally in the cost of any such
survey by a licensed professional surveyor meeting minimum
standards or other standards approved by Seller provided that
Seller’s costs shall in no event exceed Twenty-Five Thousand
Dollars ($25,000.00) for all tracts combined. In addition, Seller
shall be entitled to reserve easements for access and utilities to
such affected parcel. The Purchase Price will be reduced by a
computation of the number of acres utilizing the specific values
reflected on the chart attached as Schedule 5 (b) for
any acres deleted (subject to expansion to a marketable parcel as
aforesaid) as a result of Purchaser’s Environmental
Evaluation. For the purposes of all adjustments to Purchase Price
arising out of title claims or defects and environmental claims or
defects, Purchaser shall not be entitled to request and obtain an
adjustment to the Purchase Price until the claims, or defects,
arising from title and environmental claims or defects individually
or collectively could lessen the value of the Assets by, or cause
damage of, at least six/tenths of one percent (0.6%) of the
Purchase Price of each tract (the “Floor”). If title or
environmental claims individually or in the aggregate do not exceed
the Floor, there shall be no adjustment to the Purchase Price. If
title or environmental claims exceed the Floor, the Purchase Price
shall be adjusted for title and environmental claims by reducing
the Purchase Price by the amount of the claims above the Floor
subject to the Ceiling for claims of ten percent (10%) of the
Purchase Price of each tract (“Title and Environmental Claim
Ceiling”). If the total title and environmental claims exceed
the Claim Ceiling, either Seller or Purchaser may terminate this
Agreement, the Earnest Money shall be returned to Purchaser with
neither Seller nor Purchaser having any further liability to each
other.
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(e) Purchaser’s
Indemnification of Seller Arising From Inspections . Purchaser
agrees to come in, defend, hold harmless and indemnify Seller from
any loss, claim or damage arising out of Purchaser’s or
Purchaser’s agents, employees, or contractors inspections or
operations on the Property prior to Closing. If the Closing does
not occur, Purchaser shall also repair any damage to the Property
arising out of Purchaser’s or Purchaser’s agents,
employees, or contractors inspections or operations on the
Property. The obligation of this paragraph shall survive closing of
this transaction or termination of this Agreement.
(f) Credits at Closing . In
addition to the potential adjustments to the Purchase Price as
contained in Paragraphs 5(b), 5(d), 6(d) and 10 hereof, the
Purchaser shall receive a credit at Closing in the amount of
$269,444.00 for contract 322-1058. Further, Purchaser shall receive
a credit at Closing for any funds received by Seller after July 2,
2004 and prior to Closing under any pay-as-cut contracts affecting
the Property.
7. Representations and Warranties
of Seller. Seller represents and warrants to Purchaser as of
this date and as of the date of the Closing:
7.1 Organization . Seller is
a Delaware limited liability company which is duly organized and
validly existing under the laws of the State of
Delaware.
7.2 Good Standing . Seller is
qualified to conduct business in the States of Florida and
Georgia.
7.3 Power and Authority for
Transaction . Seller has the limited liability company power
and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and
the transactions contemplated herein in accordance with the terms
hereof.
7.4 Authorization; No Violation
or Conflicts . The execution and delivery by Seller of this
Agreement and the due consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary
limited liability company actions on the part of Seller and this
Agreement constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of
Seller except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, and other similar laws affecting claims and rights
generally or by general equitable principles. Neither the execution
and delivery of this Agreement by Seller nor the consummation by
Seller of the transactions contemplated herein constitute a
violation of Seller’s certificate of formation, operating
agreement or other organizational documentation or agreements or
result in the breach of, or the imposition of any lien on any
assets of Seller pursuant to, or constitute a default under, any
indenture or bank loan or credit agreement, or other agreement or
instrument to which Seller is a party or by which it or any of its
properties may be bound or affected. Except for consents,
approvals, or authorizations which will have been obtained or
actions which will have been taken on or prior to the Closing Date,
no consent, approval, authorization or action by any governmental
authority or any person or entity having legal rights against or
jurisdiction over Seller is required in connection with the
execution and delivery by Seller of this Agreement or for
consummation by Seller of the transactions contemplated
herein.
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7.5 No Defaults . To
Seller’s knowledge (as hereinafter defined), the Contracts
and Access Rights and Easements are valid and in full force and
effect except as would not materially and adversely affect the
Assets. To Seller’s knowledge, neither Seller nor any other
party thereto has breached any material provision of, or is in
default in any material respect under, the terms of any
Contract.
7.6 Condemnation Proceedings
. Seller has not received notice of any condemnation proceeding. To
Seller’s knowledge, no condemnation proceeding is pending or
threatened which would materially preclude or impair the use of the
Property for the respective purposes for which such properties are
currently used.
7.7 Environmental Matters .
To Seller’s knowledge, except as set forth on Schedule
7.7 :
(a) the Property has not at any time
been used for the generation, transportation, management, handling,
treatment, storage, manufacture, emission disposal, release or
deposit of any hazardous substances or fill or other material
containing hazardous substances in material violation of levels
allowed under applicable laws;
(b) there are no underground storage
tanks on the Property; and
(c) Seller has not received
notification from any third party, including but not limited to
governmental agency alleging that the Property is not materially in
compliance with applicable environmental laws.
Subject to Seller’s warranty
set forth in this Paragraph 7.7, the liability for which Seller
remains responsible pursuant to the terms of this Agreement,
Purchaser releases Seller, its parent company and affiliates (for
the purposes of this paragraph “Seller”) from all
costs, losses, liabilities, obligations and claims, of any nature
whatsoever, known and unknown, that Purchaser may have against
Seller or that may arise after the date of Closing based in whole
or in part upon (i) Seller’s failure to comply with any
environmental laws applicable to the Assets; or (ii) the presence,
release or disposal of any hazardous substance, solid waste, or any
other environmental contamination on, within, or from the Assets
before, as of, or after the Closing Date. The above-referenced
release does not cover or apply to any statutory or common law
claim for contribution or indemnity that may arise to the extent
Purchaser suffers any liabilities or obligations from future claims
of any third party (private or government) arising out of (a) or
(b) above.
As used herein, the term
“environmental laws” shall mean all applicable federal,
state or local laws, rules, regulations, governmental permits or
other binding determinations of any governmental authority relating
to or addressing the environment, including, without limitation,
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act, as amended (“CERCLA”), and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), the
Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended (“TSCA”), the
Clean Water Act, as amended (“CWA”), the Clean Air Act,
as amended (“CAA”), and the Oil Pollution
11
Control Act of 1990, as amended
(“OPA”). As used herein, the terms “hazardous
substance” and “release” (as it relates to the
release of hazardous substances as opposed to the release of
claims) have the meanings specified in CERCLA and the terms
“solid waste” and “disposal” (or
“disposed”) have the meanings specified in RCRA. If
either CERCLA or RCRA is amended to broaden the meaning of any term
defined thereby, the broader meaning shall apply to this paragraph
7.7 after the effective date of the amendment. Moreover, to the
extent that applicable State law establishes a meaning for
“hazardous substance,” “release,”
“solid waste,” or “disposal” that is
broader than that specified in either CERCLA or RCRA, the broader
meaning shall apply.
7.8 Suits, Actions or
Proceedings . Except as disclosed in Schedule 7.8
, to Seller’s knowledge, there is (i) no court or
administrative judgment or order which adversely affects the Assets
or current operations thereof; and (ii) no legal, administrative or
other suit, action, proceeding or arbitration, or governmental
investigation pending or threatened which would reasonably be
expected to materially and adversely affect the Assets or current
operations thereof. To Seller’s knowledge, there is no suit,
action, arbitration or other proceeding threatened or pending
before any court or governmental agency, which may result in the
restraint or prohibition of the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
7.9 Compliance . Except as
disclosed on Schedule 7.9 , Seller has not received
notification from any governmental agency within five (5) years of
the date of this Agreement alleging that the Property or other
properties comprising the Assets are not in compliance with
applicable laws (other than environmental laws which are covered in
Paragraph 7.7) as would materially and adversely affect the Assets.
To Seller’s knowledge, there are no such violations relating
to the use of the Property.
7.10 Schedules . Seller has
delivered to Purchaser herewith the Schedules referred to in this
Agreement. The Schedules that have been delivered to Purchaser by
Seller and attached hereto are applicable to both this Agreement
and another agreement between Seller and Purchaser pertaining to
the remainder of Seller’s Florida Timberlands. Within two
weeks from the date of this Agreement, Seller and Purchaser shall
revise the Schedules by creating new Schedules containing
information applying only to the applicable contract.
7.11 Marketable Title .
Subject to the Permitted Exceptions and the Temporary Encumbrances,
to Seller’s knowledge, Seller has good and marketable title
to the Assets and at Closing such Assets will be free and clear of
all liens, security interests, charges and encumbrances.
7.12 Disposition of Assets .
Seller has not harvested, nor has Seller allowed the harvest of,
any portion of the Property, nor has Seller disposed or contracted
for the disposal or sale of any of the Property, other than rights
of way and easements in the ordinary course of business, since July
2, 2004 except under contracts on Schedule 1.1(b)
.
8. Representations and Warranties
of Purchaser . Purchaser represents and warrants to Seller that
as of this date and as of the date of the Closing:
8.1 Organization . Purchaser
is a limited partnership and is duly organized and validly existing
under the laws of the State of Delaware and has the corporate power
to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the transactions
contemplated herein in accordance with the terms hereof.
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8.2 Good Standing . Purchaser
is qualified to conduct business in the States of Delaware,
Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
8.3 Power and Authority for
Transaction . Purchaser has the power and authority to execute,
deliver and perform this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated herein in accordance with the terms hereof.
8.4 Authorization; No Violation
or Conflicts . The execution and delivery of this Agreement by
Purchaser and the due consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary
action on the part of Purchaser, and this Agreement constitutes a
valid and legally binding agreement of Purchaser. Neither the
execution and delivery of this Agreement by Purchaser nor the
consummation by Purchaser of the transactions contemplated herein
constitute a violation of Purchaser’s partnership agreement
or other organizational documentation or agreements or result in
the breach of, or the imposition of any lien on any assets of
Purchaser pursuant to, or constitute a default under, any indenture
or bank loan or credit agreement, or other agreement or instrument
to which Purchaser is a party or by which it or any of its
properties may be bound or affected. Except for consents,
approvals, or authorizations which will have been obtained or
actions which will have been taken on or prior to the Closing Date,
no consent, approval, authorization or action by any governmental
authority or any person or entity having legal rights against or
jurisdiction over Purchaser is required in connection with the
execution and delivery by Purchaser of this Agreement or for
consummation by Purchaser of the transactions contemplated
herein.
8.5 Suits, Actions or
Proceedings . To Purchaser’s knowledge (as hereinafter
defined) there is no suit, action, arbitration or other proceeding
threatened or pending before any court or governmental agency,
which may result in the restraint or prohibition of the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
8.6 Insolvency . To
Purchaser’s knowledge, there are no attachments, executions,
assignments for the benefit of creditors, or proceedings in
bankruptcy or under any other debtor relief laws contemplated by,
pending, or threatened by or against Purchaser.
8.7 Financial Capability .
Purchaser has or at Closing will have the financial capability to
complete the transactions contemplated under this
Agreement.
9. Survival; Knowledge and
Materiality .
(a) Survival . The respective
representations and warranties of Seller, Purchaser and Guarantor
contained herein or in any Schedule, certificate or other
instrument
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delivered by or on behalf of such
party pursuant to this Agreement excluding the environmental
matters set forth in Paragraph 7.7, shall survive each Closing for
a period of twelve (12) months, and shall survive each
Cl