GREETINGS on this final Monday of August and the arrival of September and the unofficial end to summer. The governor’s in town to start the week and is expected to announce his appointment to the 12th DA Office. He’ll also show up to read to students at Alamosa Elementary.
Also have to say, that was a fun SLV Pride Parade over the weekend that went down Main Street and then onto Ross Avenue and into the neighborhoods. Now get ready for what we’re calling the “Mother of all Labor Day Weekends.” But before we get too far ahead, here’s an update to the railroad saga, plus a few other items to get the week started:
1. Don’t strong-arm the bankruptcy trustee
William A. Brandt, Jr., the court-appointed trustee in the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding, insists in the latest court filing that he has three parties he’s talking to about purchasing the freight railroad. He also took objection to Big Shoulders Capital, LLC and “Big Shoulders’ attempts to strong-arm the Trustee into accepting its offer to purchase the estate’s assets at a price which will leave the estate administratively insolvent are not well-taken,” according to the court filing.
Big Shoulders is the largest creditor in the proceeding and had asked the court to require Brandt to file an update on any bids submitted for the railroad through a recent court-approved bidding process and auction held in July. “Trustee has had constant discussions and negotiations with three separate parties (not including Big Shoulders) who have expressed interest not only in purchasing substantially all of the Debtor’s assets but also continuing and maintaining freight operations of the railroad in the San Luis Valley. The proposed terms from each of the prospective bidders provide for substantially more value to the estate than Big Shoulders’ bid,” Brandt said in his latest filing submitted last week.
Stay tuned.
2. September starts warm
We should see September temps that start with average highs of 78 and then cool to 70 degrees later in the month, according to the NOAA forecast. Typically the Valley will also see its first overnight freezing temps down to 32 degrees as September progresses. Hay growers would like a few more weeks before any overnight freezing temperatures arrive.
