Citizen CENTENNIAL 3.1.13
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 15
LOOK OF A CHAMPION
March 1, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
Immigrant tuition bill advances to House Handful of Republicans help measure pass Senate By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
Cherry Creek High School junior Mitch Finesilver celebrates after winning the Class 5A 120-pound state wrestling championship on Feb. 23 at the Pepsi Center. For more coverage, turn to page 19. Photo by Alan Yamamoto
Cities tout jobs, development Five communities point to their achievements, goals By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com City leaders from five South Metro communities gathered at Arapahoe Community College to celebrate accomplishments of 2012 and preview what’s in store for the coming year. The Feb. 22 panel, hosted by First Bank, served as platform for announcements, as well as good-natured ribbing. A shared vision for transportation connectivity was a common theme, but the biggest news came in the form of economic development across the community. “We really do want to have Centennial be one of those places where people want to live, work, play,” said Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon to a crowd of more than 300 entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, local businesses and students. “We were very proud this year that Money magazine again named Centennial as one of the safest cities in America,” the mayor added, “and that’s quite an accomplishment for a city that didn’t even exist 12 years ago.” Noon also announced that Jones International Ltd. has submitted a zoning request to build more than 1.8 million square feet office and retail space on 42 acres of vacant land north of Ikea. “We are currently dealing with an inflow of great opportunities for infill development,” said Littleton Mayor Debbie Brinkman. In addition to the city’s approval for a 72unit luxury apartment building downtown, Brinkman noted multiple expansions, including a $10 million project by Mercedes Benz and Health South’s 49,000-square-foot in-patient hospital.
Local leaders gathered at Arapahoe Community College for a look at what’s in store for 2013. The free event, held Feb. 22, attracted more than 200 attendees to hear the mayors of four local cities and an official representing the Highlands Ranch Metro District. Photo by Deborah Grigsby “The fun news is that Breckenridge Brewery has applied to rezone to move their brewery and expand to about three times the size they currently are,” she said, “and that’s about a $20 million project.” Restaurant Solutions Inc. has purchased a 65,000-square-foot vacant building on Mineral Road and plans to bring 90 jobs to the Littleton area in May. Lone Tree Mayor Jim Gunning said his 2013 priority was maintaining property value. “Those of you who have been watching Lone Tree know it is a small city, but in terms of economic development, it’s very robust,” he said. Among Gunning’s announcements were a $107 million expansion by Sky Ridge Medical Center, a new Embassy Suites near I-25 and Lincoln Ave., a headquarters expansion by Time Warner Telecom, and the official
opening of Cabela’s on Aug. 15. “In 2012, our city council established economic development as one of our main goals,” said Englewood Mayor Randy Penn. Penn said in 2008, the city had $12 million in permits; in 2011, $22 million in permits and in 2012, $49 million in permits. “The great thing is 2013 is starting off with a little over $250 million in permits,” said Penn. Penn said he is also working to find space and funding for a “huge convention center” in the City of Englewood. Allen Dreher, treasurer of the Highlands Ranch Metro District, said with the completion of the Highlands Ranch Mansion project, the community will create an accompanying historic park located on the west side of the building. “We have no Cabela’s, no Ikea, we just have a lovely place to live,” joked Dreher.
Undocumented immigrant children are part of the “melting pot” of our society, and they should have “the same opportunities as other kids do.” And that’s just Republicans talking. A bill that would allow undocumented students in Colorado to pay in-state tuition rates at colleges and universities passed the Senate on Feb. 25, with three Republicans joining all 20 Democrats in voting yes on Senate Bill 33. The bill, which has been dubbed ASSET — Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow — would apply to all students, so long as they have graduated from high school and have Report attended a Colorado school for at least three years. “There are some pretty great kids out there who could benefit if we pass this,” said Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, during a Senate floor debate in the days leading up to the final vote. Joining Brophy in voting for the bill were Republican Sens. Owen Hill of Colorado Springs and Larry Crowder of Alamosa. Any issue involving illegal immigration has been a dicey one for Republicans in recent years. On one hand, the number of Hispanic voters only continues to grow — and they overwhelmingly support Democrats. At the same time, Republican lawmakers face pressure from the right wing of their party to oppose any efforts that it sees as being akin to softening on issues surrounding illegal immigration. “(Republicans) who vote for this bill are risking everything, politically,” Brophy said. “It takes a lot of courage to vote for this bill.” Crowder said that it’s wrong to expect undocumented immigrant students to forgo life goals and “flip burgers.” Crowder also reminded his Senate colleagues that the country needs more workers to pay into Social Security, and that can be helped by creating an environment where more people have opportunities to gain an education and earn better salaries to pay into the system. Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton — who voted against a similar bill in 2009 — agreed with Crowder, as she voiced her support of the legislation this time around. “We are going to have a huge shortage of workforce for our businesses,” she said. This is an emotional issue for many Democrats, and that was on display during the floor debate leading up to the final vote. Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, a former teacher, recalled how “emotionally crushing” it was to see some of her students lose hope of ever being able to attend college. “They get this subtle message that they are not valued,” she said. The bill passed the Senate on a 23-12 vote. ASSET now heads to the House.
Capitol
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