TERM NOTE

		Exhibit 10.5
	TERM NOTE
$1,690,000.00		Santa Rosa, California
		March 1, 2004

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned SONOMAWEST HOLDINGS, INC. (“Borrower”) promises to pay to the order of WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (“Bank”) at its office at it’s North Coast Regional Commercial Banking Office at 200 B Street, 3rd Floor, Santa Rosa, California, or at such other place as the holder hereof may designate, in lawful money of the United States of America and in immediately available funds, the principal sum of One Million Six Hundred Ninety Thousand Dollars ($1,690,000.00), with interest thereon as set forth herein.

DEFINITIONS:

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth after each, and any other term defined in this Note shall have the meaning set forth at the place defined:

(a) “Business Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks in California are authorized or required by law to close.

(b) “Fixed Rate Term” means a period commencing on a Business Day and continuing for 1, 2 or 3 months, as designated by Borrower, during which all or a portion of the outstanding principal balance of this Note bears interest determined in relation to LIBOR; provided however, that no Fixed Rate Term may be selected for a principal amount less than Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00); and provided further, that no Fixed Rate Term shall extend beyond the scheduled maturity date hereof. If any Fixed Rate Term would end on a day which is not a Business Day, then such Fixed Rate Term shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day.

(c) “LIBOR” means the rate per annum (rounded upward, if necessary, to the nearest whole 1/8 of 1%) and determined pursuant to the following formula:

LIBOR =  Base LIBOR     

100% - LIBOR Reserve Percentage

(i) “Base LIBOR” means the rate per annum for United States dollar deposits quoted by Bank as the Inter-Bank Market Offered Rate, with the understanding that such rate is quoted by Bank for the purpose of calculating effective rates of interest for loans making reference thereto, on the first day of a Fixed Rate Term for delivery of funds on said date for a period of time approximately equal to the number of days in such Fixed Rate Term and in an amount approximately equal to the principal amount to which such Fixed Rate Term applies. Borrower understands and agrees that Bank may base its quotation of the Inter-Bank Market Offered Rate upon such offers or other market indicators of the Inter-Bank Market as Bank in its discretion deems appropriate including, but not limited to, the rate offered for U.S. dollar deposits on the London Inter-Bank Market.

 

 

(ii) “LIBOR Reserve Percentage” means the reserve percentage prescribed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (or any successor) for “Eurocurrency Liabilities” (as defined in Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board, as amended), adjusted by Bank for expected changes in such reserve percentage during the applicable Fixed Rate Term.

(d) “Prime Rate” means at any time the rate of interest most recently announced within Bank at its principal office as its Prime Rate, with the understanding that the Prime Rate is one of Bank’s base rates and serves as the basis upon which effective rates of interest are calculated for those loans making reference thereto, and is evidenced by the recording thereof after its announcement in such internal publication or publications as Bank may designate.

INTEREST:

(a) Interest. The outstanding principal balance of this Note shall bear interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed) either (i) at a fluctuating rate per annum one-quarter percent (0.25%) above the Prime Rate in effect from time to time, or (ii) at a fixed rate per annum determined by Bank to be three and one quarter percent (3.25%) above LIBOR in effect on the first day of the applicable Fixed Rate Term. When interest is determined in relation to the Prime Rate, each change in the rate of interest hereunder shall become effective on the date each Prime Rate change is announced within Bank. With respect to each LIBOR selection hereunder, Bank is hereby authorized to note the date, principal amount, interest rate and Fixed Rate Term applicable thereto and any payments made thereon on Bank’s books and records (either manually or by electronic entry) and/or on any schedule attached to this Note, which notations shall be prima facie evidence of the accuracy of the information noted.

(b) Selection of Interest Rate Options. At any time any portion of this Note bears interest determined in relation to LIBOR, it may be continued by Borrower at the end the Fixed Rate Term applicable thereto so that all or a portion thereof bears interest determined in relation to the Prime Rate or to LIBOR for a new Fixed Rate Term designated by Borrower. At any time any portion of this Note bears interest determined in relation to the Prime Rate, Borrower may convert all or a portion thereof so that it bears interest determined in relation to LIBOR for a Fixed Rate Term designated by Borrower. At the time this Note is disbursed or Borrower wishes to select a LIBOR option for all or a portion of the outstanding principal balance hereof, and at the end of each Fixed Rate Term, Borrower shall give Bank notice specifying: (i) the interest rate option selected by Borrower; (ii) the principal amount subject thereto; and (iii) for each LIBOR selection, the length of the applicable Fixed Rate Term. Any such notice may be given by telephone (or such other electronic method as Bank may permit) so long as, with respect to each LIBOR selection, (A) if requested by Bank, Borrower provides to Bank written confirmation thereof not later than three (3) Business Days after such notice is given, and (B) such notice is given to Bank prior to 10:00 a.m. on the first day of the Fixed Rate Term or at a later time during any Business Day if Bank, at its sole option but without obligation to do so, accepts Borrower's notice and quotes a fixed rate of Borrower. If Borrower does not immediately accept a fixed rate when quoted by Bank, the quoted rate shall expire and any subsequent LIBOR request from Borrower shall be subject to a redermination by Bank of the applicable fixed rate. If no specific designation of interest is made at the time this Note is disbursed or at the end of any Fixed Rate Term, Borrower shall be deemed to have made a Prime Rate interest selection for this Note or the principal amount to which such Fixed Rate Term applied.

 

(c) Taxes and Regulatory Costs. Borrower shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand, in addition to any other amounts due or to become due hereunder, any and all (i) withholdings, interest equalization taxes, stamp taxes or other taxes (except income and franchise taxes) imposed by any domestic or foreign governmental authority and related in any manner to LIBOR, and (ii) future, supplemental, emergency or other charges in the LIBOR Reserve Percentage, assessment rates imposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or similar requirements or costs imposed by any domestic or foreign govermental authority or resulting from compliance by Bank with any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any central bank or other governmental authority and related in any manner to LIBOR to the extent they are not included in the calculation of LIBOR. In determining which of the foregoing are attributable to any LIBOR option available to Borrower hereunder, any reasonable allocation made by Bank among its operations shall be conclusive and binding upon Borrower.

(d) Payment of Interest. Interest accrued on this Note shall be payable on the first day of each month, commencing April 1, 2004.

(e) Default Interest. From and after the maturity date of this Note, or such earlier date as all principal owing hereunder becomes due and payable by acceleration or otherwise, the outstanding principal balance of this Note shall bear interest until paid in full at an increased rate per annum (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed) equal to four percent (4%) above the rate of interest from time to time applicable to this Note.

REPAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT:

(a) Repayment. Principal shall be payable on the first day of each month in installments of Four Thousand Six Hundred Fifty and no/100 dollars ($4,650.00) each, commencing April 1, 2004, and continuing up to and including November 1, 2005, with a final installment consisting of all remaining unpaid pricipal due and payable in full on December 1, 2005.

 

 

(b) Application of Payments. Each payment made on this Note shall be credited first, to any interest then due and second, to the outstanding principal balance hereof. All payments credited to principal shall be applied first, to the outstanding principal balance of this Note which bears interest determined in relation to the Prime Rate, if any, and second, to the outstanding principal balance of this Note which bears interest determined in relation to LIBOR, with such payments applied to the oldest Fixed Rate Term first.

(c) Prepayment.

Prime Rate. Borrower may prepay principal on any portion of this Note which bears interest determined in relation to the Prime Rate at any time, in any amount and without penalty.

LIBOR. Borrower may prepay principal on any portion of this Note which bears interest determined in relation to LIBOR at any time and in the minimum amount of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00); provided however, that if the outstanding principal balance of such portion of this Note is less than said amount, the minimum prepayment amount shall be the entire outstanding principal balance thereof. In consideration of Bank providing this prepayment option to Borrower, or if any such portion of this Note shall become due and payable at any time prior to the last day of the Fixed Rate Term applicable thereto by acceleration or otherwise, Borrower shall pay to Bank immediately upon demand a fee which is the sum of the discounted monthly differences for each month from the month of prepayment through the month in which such fixed Rate Term matures, calculated as follows for each such month:

(i)

Determine the amount of interest which would have accrued each month on the amount prepaid at the interest rate applicable to such amount had it remained outstanding until the last day of the Fixed Rate Term applicable thereto.

(ii)

Subtract from the amount determined in (i) above the amount of interest which would have accrued for the same month on the amount prepaid for the remaining term of such Fixed Rate Term at LIBOR in effect on the date of prepayment for new loans made for such term and in a principal amount equal to the amount prepaid.

(iii)

If the result obtained in (ii) for any month is greater than zero, discount that difference by LIBOR used in (ii) above.

Each Borrower acknowledges that prepayment of such amount may result in Bank incurring additional costs, expenses and/or liabilities, and that it is difficult to a certain the full extent of such costs, expenses and/or liabilities. Each Borrower, therefore, agrees to pay the above-described prepayment fee and agrees that said amount represents a reasonable estimate of the prepayment costs, expenses and/or liabilities of Bank. If Borrower fails to pay any prepayment fee when due, the amount of such prepayment fee shall thereafter bear interest until paid at a rate per annum two percent (2%) above the Prime Rate in effect from time to time (computed on the basis of a 360-day year, actual days elapsed).

 

All prepayments of principal shall be applied on the most remote principal installment or installments then unpaid.

EVENTS OF DEFAULT:

This Note is made pursuant to and is subject to the terms and conditions of that certain Credit Agreement between Borrower and Bank dated as of March 1, 2004, as amended form time to time (the “Credit Agreement”). Any default in the payment or performance of any obligation under this Note, or any defined event of default under the Credit Agreement, shall constitute an “Event of Default” under this Note.

MISCELLANEOUS:

(a) Remedies. Upon the sale, transfer, hypothecation, assignment or other encumbrance, whether voluntary, involuntary or by operation of law, of all or any interest in any real property securing this Note, or upon] the occurrence of any Event of Default, the holder of this Note, at the holder’s option, may declare all sums of principal and interest outstanding hereunder to be immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, notice of nonperformance, notice of protest, protest or notice of dishonor, all of which are expressly waived by each Borrower. Each Borrowers shall pay to the holder immediately upon demand the full amount of all payments, advances, charges, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees (to include outside counsel fees and all allocated costs of the holder’s in-house counsel), expended or incurred by the holder in connection with the enforcement of the holder’s rights and/or the collection of any amounts which become due to the holder under this Note, and the prosecution or defense of any action in any way related to this Note, including without limitation, any action for declaratory relief, whether incurred at the trial or appellate level, in an arbitration proceeding or otherwise, and including any of the foregoing incurred in connection with any bankruptcy proceeding (including without limitation, any adversary proceedings, contested matter or motion brought by Bank or any other person) relating to any Borrower or any other person or entity.

(b) Obligations Joint and Several. Should more than one person or entity sign this Note as a Borrower, the obligations of each such Borrower shall be joint and several.

(c) Governing Law. This Note shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

This Note is secured by a Deed of Trust dated November 17, 1998.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Note as of the date first written above.

SONOMAWEST HOLDINGS, INC.

 

By:        /s/ Roger Mertz                              

Roger Mertz

Chairman of the Board