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Colorado Commissioners: Scott Gibbs-Vice Chair, Mark Graybill-Treasurer
New Mexico Commissioners: Kim Smith-Casford-Secretary, Billy Elbrock-Chairman
General Manager of the Cumbres & Toltec railroad: Ed Beaudette
Glossary (initialisms that may appear in this document):
ARPA: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
BAR: Budget Adjustment Request
C&TS: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
C19: Covid-19 virus
CO: Colorado
CRF: Car Restoration Facility, Antonito
CS: Colorado Springs, CO
CTO: Cumbres Toltec Operating company
D&RG: Denver & Rio Grande Railroad
D&S: Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
DFA: Department of Financial Administration (NM)
DRHS: Durango Railroad Historical Society
DTS: Dynamic Ticket Solutions (the prior ticketing company used by the C&TS)
FH: Fare Harbor (the current ticketing company used by the C&TS)
FY: Fiscal Year
FRA: Federal Railroad Administration
G&A: General and Administrative
HPA: Historic Preservation Account, or Historic Preservaton Association
HR: Human Relations
JBC: Joint Budget Committee (CO)
LFC: Leglislative Finance Committee (NM)
MOW: Maintenance Of Way
NOI: Net Operating Income
NM: New Mexico
ROW: Right of Way
RPO: Railroad Post Office
RR: Railroad, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, unless mentioned otherwise
SHF: State Historic Fund (CO)
SLV: San Louis Valley, the area that contains Antonito
TABB: Tracks Across Borders Byway
VIHR: Victorian Iron Horse Roundup (August 2021 special event)
YTD: Year To Date (fiscal normally)
‘the Friends’: The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR, the museum arm,
http://www.cumbrestoltec.org
Commissioner Elbrock had the attendees recognize Ernest Vigil (Mayor of Chama), thanking him for the use of the Chama town (city) hall.
Ed mentioned the order of the report would first hear the department reports, then his report will conclude the reports of the RR.
The season started pretty slow (passenger wise). Some days were slow, others more busy. There were very few delays, very few breakdowns. Operationally, the trains ran well. No one got hurt. No big issues. Over the last week, the equipment was winterized. Pre-winter work at Osier is complete. The equipment that is removed from Osier at the end of each season has been moved out. That equipment is ready to begin annual servicing. There are a couple of projects going on with the national forest. A few representatives of the forest service will be given a tour of the ROW. The RR will discuss what they want to do, so to receive permission from the forest service to do so. The RR has some ideas regarding fire mitigation. This year was good for fire mitigation, in part due to a wet summer. The Lava water tank was worked on this year, it should be operational next spring. The addition of a source of water along the line will be quite useful. Four to 4.5 miles of track have been re-ballasted, about 4,000 tons of rock. 3.5 miles of that track have been re-tamped and groomed. If weather permits, more rock will be moved in the near future. The next storm may prevent movement past Cumbres pass. A little more than a mile of ties have been installed, between mile markers 320 and 321.3. Tie work will continue on the east end, at lower elevations. The bridge inspection (from Martin and Martin) is complete as of two weeks ago. Marvin is waiting for the report to come back. That will determine future work required. Equipment is being moved into Long Creek. One of the two culverts will be dammed off to prevent further damage. (Ed. In a previous commission meeting, it was revealed that the culverts at Long Creek need some major work). Commissioner Graybill mentioned that a lot of track work got done this year. Marvin reported that there some pretty good crews out there working. It was asked how many of the track crew will move over to the shop over the winter. Four guys move over. A new guy, that has worked as night watchman as well as track may be talked into working in the shop over the winter. He would be a great addition. This person came from a background in medical prosthetics. He has ideas on how to do things. Commissioner Gibbs thanked Marvin for a very safe season. Marvin mentioned that the crews in the last two months went above and beyond. Some of the guys complained, yet they were the first ones in the next day to work.
This agenda item was presented after #9.
The FY ended June 30, 2024. The busiest part of the year just concluded. Thus the following reflects the first three months of the new FY. Now the operational season has ended, the capital spending really gets underway. So the capital pots of money will be drawn down, Capital Colorado and ARPA. Work is being done with the new ADP payroll system to be sure that all of the G/L codes are being mapped correctly to Quickbooks. Accounts payable will begin transitioning with the department capital managers in transitioning from CTO expenses into Capital. After fishing through the Fare Harbor data, the RR is doing further reconciliation with FH. It takes a bit of work when moving over to a new ticketing system. There is an increase this first quarter of the FY over last of 13% for HPA. This is due to operating revenue. The increase in ridership added to HPA and CTO this year. Those two entities cover the operational activity. There is also an increase of NOI over last year. The commission P&L reflects our insurance and salaries. Expenses have decreased from the prior year, there is an increase in payroll insurance. There was a decrease in professional fees. The commission sheet is currently quiet. Funds from Colorado should be received shortly after sending out the invoice to History Colorado. NM funds have been received. NM capital funds are being drawn down. CO funding for fire mitigation has been gained. In reviewing the P&L for CTO, expenses have decreased about 4.5% in the first 4 months of the FY. This is due to a decrease in payroll expenses of about 22%, G&A of about 50%, and utilities of about 23%. The net income is up 10% over last year, quarter one. There is an increase in cash, primarily due to ticket sales. Analysis is being done on the extra trains to determine how profitable they are to run. Commissioner Graybill thanked Elysia for doing the Analysis. That should be quite valueable.
Ed Beaudette then went into the remainder of his GM report.
It was a good solid year. There were very few issues. They were handled very effectively. Interactions with the public went well. Marketing and passenger services increased the ridership this year. The RR is not yet where it was pre C-19. With the new momentum, it is hoped to return to those numbers. This is a tough business, being in the middle of nowhere. It is good that the RR did well this year, in a softer market. One of the biggest burdens the RR bears is the cost of insurance. This makes it very tough to show a positive NOI. The annual cycles of the legislative sessions of both states is coming up. It is important for each state to be aware of the needs of the RR and the capital expenditures required of it. There are two special projects that people are watching. One is the restoration of locomotive 492, a K-37. The last K-37 to run on the C&Ts was back in 2002, by #497. There are some donations out there to getting it back to service. At this time, there are several components being built for that locomotive. Steven Butler is now on as the lead to restoring that locomotive. In a few days, that locomotive will be picked up in Chama and moved to Monte Vista for work to begin. Work is expected to be about two years. This locomotive has never seen an FRA 230 process. With the assistance of the Chama and Antonito shops, work is expected to go well. The other project is the arrival of the White Pass locomotive #114. Getting that machine from Alaska to the C&Ts has been quite a process. It is a modern locomotive, compared to the two small road switchers already here. The first step in getting the 114 on property was to have it barged from AK to WA. It is being trucked from WA to Antonito. It is expected sometime next week, weather permitting. Scott Gibbs, Steven Butler and Marvin went to AK about a year ago and decided the RR needs it. This locomotive will be very useful in MOW work, so as not to require a steam locomotive. It can be used as a backup locomotive to haul a full train. When 114 arrives, it will be put onto its trucks (already in Antonito). Its controls will be updated to state of the art. It was a successful season, with relatively few problems. It was nice to have five locomotives under steam at the beginning of the season. This is due to a solid group of people that are passionate about what they are doing. Ed thanked everyone on the staff. They put in quite an effort this year.
Out of order from the agenda, but part of the GM report. Abi couldn’t attend the meeting. Ed provided the report. Years ago, most people would book their tickets months in advance. Today, with most people having a smart device in hand, last minute decisions can be made. Parlor cars do sell fairly well in advance. Seats there are limited, thus people book them early. On the otherhand, coach seats are normally available with short notice. Premium seating sells first, then coach seats sell when the travel date is close. Comparing the two big online services, Facebook vs. Instagram see two different demographics. Instagram draws the younger users, Facebook the older users. This will have an influence on future marketing efforts. The regular season ended a few weeks ago. The week following the season saw a week of charter trains. Very shortly, the Christmas season will arrive. Chama will see the first weekend of service. It will be expanded into the week to provide special trains for the local schools. The same format will follow a week later for Antonito. The special school trains give the RR an opportunity to expose the RR to people not familiar with the C&Ts. It is a short holiday season this year as Thanksgiving arrives later. Last season, just over 30,000 passengers rode. While the final numbers are not in, it looks like this year saw 34,500 passengers. About a 14% increase. The marketing effort is bringing people to the area. Commissioner Graybill said that to be up 14% is phenomenal. The tourism industry in general has seen a softer season this year. Most RR’s he talked to were down 10%-20%. A great effort by the RR staff. The upcoming Christmas trains will bump the number as well. Ed reported that last year, the Santa trains serviced just under 3,000. It is hoped the Santa trains will also see an increase this year. Group travel was up measurably this year. It has been a trend for a couple of years. This looks like a segment that can be used to build for the future. Ticket sales for the core product should be ready to sell by the end of November. Once special train sales over the year have been analyzed, some of those products will be available for sale. The special trains tend to be more of an impulse buy.
Commissioner Smith-Casford reports she got no complaints. The lodging operators reported a significant increase in occupancy. This may be due to two smaller hotels downtown under renovation, as well as the Branding Iron not opening their upper level this year. Commissioner Elbrock also reported no complaints. His business was down in August (Fina’s?), but up in September tremendously. Kim thanked the communities for their support. She and her team went to a restaurant earlier this year, and a hotel owner followed her in, and picked up the tab in thanks.
Ed already mentioned 492 & 114 rather thoroughly. Having 492 worked on offsite keeps shop space open of the other locomotives. Lava tank has been rehabilitated. That is has been a long time coming. The tenders of the smaller locomotives can be filled much more quickly at that location. It is also nice to have some backup water available on the line. Avry, Max & Marvin will busy with running gear work on 463 and 489 over the winter. That should put them in good shape for next year.
None
While not on the report provided to the commissioners, Rich Muth had a report on the docent activity for the season. There were 27 different docents, 4 were women. 283 rides were covered, 2547 hours. The coordinators put in 630 hours, managing, scheduling. Off season the coordinators put in 300 hours. Quite a work effort from the docent group. Board meetings were wrapped up last week in CS. Kim &;amp; Rich, thanks for being at the banquet. This could possibly be the last meeting that Tim reports in his current capacity, depending how the search goes for his successor. We might see him in the first quarter. He will work with the transition team. He reports being glad to work 20 years with the RR and the commission. Tim then moved on to report on the web cams in the Chama yard. There are two cameras on the coal tipple. One points south, the other north. In September, there were over 13,000 viewers. The depot camera saw nearly 20,000 viewers. Full details were provided to the commissioners in their packet. Work performed this year in the work details was provided to the commission. The car inspectors house on Cumbres was one project, as well as the buildings at Sublette. MW02, RPO 54 being stripped and repainted. 2025 work session dates and details were in his report to the commission. (Ed. The official meeting minutes MIGHT have these details. Link at top of this document). The express bag 163 car in CS was being worked on as the meeting was being held. Tim reported that he attached a couple of other pages. The 50th anniversary edition of Railfan & Railroad magazine just came out. It has a blurb about 487 being converted to oil. The Friends had an ad on page 21, trying to recruit new members. Tim then handed the commission comments of an e-mail blast the Friends send out every month (not yet sent to Friends members). This blast contains breaking news that occurs between issues of the Dispatch. 492 was mentioned. Tim reports that they are holding a donation of $100,000. This is an estate gift from Ron Burkhardts father of WI. When needed, the commission just needs to ask, and a check will be on the way. Commissioner Gibbs wanted Tim to thank the folks that run the web cam. Earlier the DRHS had their tool trailer broken into. The cam didn’t have enough detail to prosocute the perpetrators, but did help in identifying who did. Tim mentioned that there are funds in the camera category, and perhaps one could be installed in Antonito. It is worth the discussion. It is good free advertising for the RR. Commissioner Elbrock thanked Tim for his 20 years with the RR. Tim was given a lifetime pass to ride the train. It left Tim kind of tongue twisted. Tim said the gift was special. Working with all of the people over 1/3 of his life was special. Billy thanked him for the work the Friends have provided. He pointed out how Tim was the GM of the operating company for a time. Tim then wanted to tell a story about Elmer Salazar back then. Elmer said “You know Timmy, for being a white boy from WI, you are not doing too bad”. (laughs and applause followed).
Javair Vigil asked to speak at the meeting.
He is the founder and president of the Northern New Mexico ROC Foundation. His website. ROC stands for Recreation and Outdoor Conservation. Chapter one is in the Chama Valley. He was born and raised in Chama. He is a descendant of Eddy Vigil. His uncle is the Mayor of Chama. His heart has family ties to the C&Ts. His foundation is youth oriented and is for the kids of the Chama Valley. Providing recreation, STEM and literature opportunities. They try to provide services not provided by the schools. He thanked commissioner Smith-Casford and Abi Martinez for their support of ROC. Abi provided a guided tour of the RR for their youth. When the kids visited the RR, their spirits were the most vibrant. In December, the schools will be bringing in their kids to ride the train. After walking the 20 acre property with Steven Butler & Abi, it was noticed that there was a lot of undergrowth that needs to be cut. (Ed. I think he is talking about an area that with the help of the RR could be turned into a bosque (spanish for land coverd with woods), a nature area). There is state grant money available. This bosque could be valuable to Chama, the RR, tourists and the youth of the area. He would like to work with the RR to get the project moving. The money is available. The land is available. The commission was excited to hear about the project. Commissioner Elbrock suggested getting an appointment with Ed Beaudette to get things rolling.
Billy then thanked Mayor Vigil and asked if he had any words. Mr. Vigil said that city hall was available for commission meetings as long as he is mayor. The Mayor mentioned how his father, Eddy was an integral part of the RR. (Eddy also served as mayor in years past). Ed. I also thank Mayor Vigil and the staff he has working at city hall. They were very helpful in getting me access to the building to setup. They really take pride in what they do. They wanted a nice visual experience for my video viewers. Great folks there at the Chama city hall.
Approved
It has been discovered that several banks the commission works with that they have old information regarding CFO, commissioners. All of the banks require a resolution to officially get this changed.
Approved.
The commissioners discussed rotating roles. All agreed they like the role they already have. Thus they will remain the same:
Billy Elbrock-Chairman
Scott Gibbs-Vice Chairman
Kim Smith-Casford-Secretary
Mark Graybill-Treasurer
February 8-Antonito
May 3-Chama
August 2-Antonito
November 1-Chama
None
** An Executive Session may be called at any time during the meeting, pursuant to Commission Policy and Practices Manual v8.0,
adopted May 20,2023 regarding limited personnel matters; strategy preliminary to attorney-client privilege pertaining to threatening or pending
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rights by the public body. The Governing Body may revise the order of the agenda items considered at this Open Meeting.
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