By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Chuck and Shirley Comeau and their holding company are involved in two multimillion foreclosure proceedings involving 27 pieces of property in Hays and Plainville for non-payment of the loans.
Eighteen of those properties are in downtown Hays and another nine are in Plainville.
The foreclosure actions have been filed by Bank of Hays and Sunflower Bank.
The Comeaus took out a $7.5 million loan in September 2013 and a $949,000 loan in December 2016 from the Bank of Hays.
DFC holdings still owes more than $7.5 million on the loans as of Dec. 15.
Payment had not been on the loans with Bank of Hays since July 11, 2018, according to court filings.
The Oak Street Planing Mill, also a Comeau company, took out mortgages for $350,000 in February 2004, $315,000 in April 2005 and $1.1 million in March 2007.
As of February 23, 2018, Sunflower Bank was still owed about $450,000.
Dessin Fournir, the Comeau’s furniture company in Plainville, was named as a party in both of the foreclosure filings, but its headquarters building, 308 Mill St., Plainville was not.
Ashley Comeau spoke on behalf of Dessin Fournir and said the company did not want to comment at this time. However, she noted this was not a hostile litigation with Bank of Hays.
Attorneys for both banks declined comment on the pending litigation.
The Hays locations listed in the foreclosures included multiple properties that were currently being occupied by businesses.
Shaun Musil rents 1100 Main St. for the Paisley Pear, a wine bar and bistro.
“We are doing business as normal,” Musil said. “I can’t control what is going on with the building. At this time, I’m not too concerned about it.”
Norman Keller worked for the Comeaus for more than 21 years at C.S. Post before he and his wife, Sandy, opened Regeena’s Flowers and Events at 1013 Main St. in a building owned by the Comeaus.
He said he was not concerned about his business. If the building is purchased by another owner, he said he would work with that owner.
Other Hays properties listed in the foreclosure include, 803 Fort St., 811 Fort St., 1008 Main (occupied by Bluetique), 1011 Main St. (occupied by Bella Luna and Simply Charmed), 106 W. 11th St., 1102 Main St. (former Strand Theatre), 1107 Main St., 1109 and 1111 Main St. (occupied by Couture for Men and Women), 106 W. 12th St., 719 Main St., 1108 Main St., 121 E. 11th St., 1012 Main St. (occupied by Something Blue), 110 W. 11th St. and 201 E. 12th St.
The Bank of Hays foreclosure also includes the Comeau home at 400 S. Jefferson in Plainville and 108 N. Main, Plainville.
Roger Hrabe, director of Rooks County Economic Development, said the Comeaus and Dessin Fourinir have been huge contributors to the local economy and one of the largest employers in the community.
“It has been tremendous,” Hrabe said of the Dessin Fournir, “Not only have they employed a good number of people, they have good employees and they are very involved in the community. Leadership Kansas has been one of the many groups to come through and tour the facility. The fact that an enterprise can do this in a small community, people take notice of that. If it can be done here, it can be done anywhere.”
Sunflower Bank has filed for a summary judgement against Oak Street Planing Mill, the Comeaus and their co-defendants. A hearing was held on Dec. 17 in Ellis County District Court before Judge Blake Bittel. Bittel is currently reviewing the case and is set to release his decision before the end of the month.
According court records, the defendants paid their October 2017 payment late at which the bank accelerated the loan.
That case involves Plainville properties, including 108 N. Main, 211 1/2 Mill, 205 N. Main, 317 W. Mill, 311 S. Washington, 211 W. Mill and 221 W. Mill.
Others listed in the Sunflower Bank case include DFC Holdings, DFC Corp., Classic Cloth, Palmer Hargrave, C.S. Post, Christopher Mraz, Lenice Larson and Liberty Group.
The Kansas Center of Entrepreneurship is listed in both foreclosure filings because it had a mortgage on property owned by DFC Corp. for $500,000.
Emprise Bank, Golden Belt Bank and Wilson State Bank were also listed on mortgages on tracts that were listed on the Bank of Hays filings.