Colorado's Regis Jesuit High School, which lies in both Centennial and Aurora, favors annexation plan
In the western part of Colorado's Arapahoe County, boundaries between municipalities can be a little tricky. It's a problem Regis Jesuit High School and administrators have experienced directly.
In 2017, Regis Jesuit High School bought 18 acres that bordered their campus. They saw it as a great opportunity to improve their athletics facilities.
"I think we're always thinking about how we can best support our students," said Regis Jesuit President David Card. "With over 1,600 students, the vast majority of those participate in at least one athletic program. It requires a lot of space."
To date, they've built seven tennis courts on the land, and have plans for more fields, but there's one problem. While the main campus of Regis Jesuit is in Aurora, the 18 acres they purchased is technically in Centennial, which has made developing it difficult.
"One of the things we've got to do is work with both planning departments for Aurora and Centennial, and it's just not a very efficient process," said Card.
The campus now relies of two different entities for emergency services and utilities. Aurora provides both for the Aurora side of the campus while Arapahoe County provides emergency services for the Centennial side.
"Right now here in Centennial, all this is served by well water, which our neighbors are really not crazy about us using," said Card.
So the school wants the Centennial side to be annexed by Aurora. They say it will just make things easier.
"The heart of the Regis campus is in Aurora. So, the more that we can link all of that together, the better for us," said Card.
The disconnecting decision must be made by Centennial City Council and was approved at a recent meeting. Card says the opposition they have heard so far is from nearby residents who worry how future development will affect them. He assures them, though, that this move will actually protect the surrounding community by allowing them to regulate access to the land.
