The boy and I swung by Fair Park Sunday, and on our way out we drove past the Museum of the American Railroad. Which reminded me: The museum and the city of Dallas, which sued to get those trains chugga-chugga'd to Frisco back in January 2010, were set to go to trial ... let's see ... why, at the end of June, matter of fact. But it was my understanding that the May 31 groundbreaking in Frisco, first announced mid-May, had pushed back the litigation just a bit. And, sure enough: When I went to look at the case file earlier today, Judge Martin Hoffman has prepared a notice of intent to dismiss.
Come September 12, all things go according to plan, this case will just disappear. How the heck did that happen?
"Well," says museum attorney William Brotherton, "we had another mediation, the attorneys put together a proposed settlement agreement, the board of trustees for the museum approved it, and we're just waiting for the city council to approve it."
That's the Dallas City Council, which is on summer break and won't meet again till August, at which point city attorneys will more than likely take the council behind closed doors to spell out the settlement agreement. Till then, Brotherton says, he can't say anything about what's contained therein, except to say settling the suit "just made sense for both parties. It's a fair deal to both sides."
I asked: So, when's the moving date to Frisco?
Brotherton says, sorry, he can't say yet.
"It's in the settlement agreement," he explains. "But until that's all made good, we'll just have to keep it confidential for now."