Mount Dora Business and Real Estate

DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES DISCOVER GENEROSITY OF OTHERS

6/23/2016

It's a daunting undertaking. The termite fumigation of an entire historic block filled with retail, restaurants, offices and apartment dwellers could be a logistical nightmare. However, as some downtown Mount Dora businesses and residents prepare for next week's termite tenting, other local businesses have generously pitched in to help.

The large fumigation project involves nine historic buildings, five different landlords, thirty-seven businesses, and five apartment residents. Business owners and residents will not have access to their leased property during the process..
Weather permitting, Massey Services of Eustis will begin the fumigation process on Monday by enclosing the entire east side of the 400 block of Donnelly Street in a tent for three days to rid the structures of dry wood termites.

Residential tenants had to be relocated during the process. Dave Hurley, owner of Peter Pan Properties, whose properties aren’t included in the fumigation, made his two downtown cottage apartments on Alexander Street available at no charge to displaced residents.

Another downtown landlord, Carol Fuller, owns The Fuller Building on 4th Avenue and donated the use of that building for merchants’ products requiring climate-controlled storage.
To assist the four restaurants affected, Grimm DePanicis and Mount Dora Center for the Arts permitted the use of parking spaces behind their building for refrigeration and freezer trailers. The landlord for the restaurant, CFL Properties, secured and funded the shared trailers for the eateries to help ease the hardship caused by the interruption.

"All of our affected retail, restaurant, office, and residential tenants have been rock stars of cooperation, patience, and understanding during this interruption of their business and personal lives. For this, I am truly and personally grateful," stated Sandi Weld, the primary landlord's leasing agent. "CFL Properties takes seriously our responsibility to preserve and protect these historic buildings and keep them safe for our tenants. Without tenant cooperation, my job this past month would have been a nightmare. With their support, the plans are all coming together. "

All the businesses are expected to reopen on Thursday, June 30th, and the community is encouraged to support those downtown businesses to help offset losses.

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