DEL NORTE — During a meeting of the Upper Rio Grande Economic Development organization, Del Norte Town staff announced that the town is in the final stages of annexation with the Upper Rio Grande School District.

In an interview with town attorney Gene Farish, the Del Norte Prospector confirmed that the annexation of the school and surrounding properties is in the final annexation petition process and that the entire process would be complete by Jan. 8 after the town holds an annexation hearing.

Farish explained that the annexation parties which include the Church of Ladder Day Saints, the Upper Rio Grande School District, residential property owners, Rio Grande County and Xcel Energy will be 100 percent in favor of the annexation process.

The next step will be to publish the required notifications of the annexation in the local newspaper for four consecutive weeks. “The key to this entire process was to get all of the annexation petitioners to come to an agreement,” stated Farish.

The town will also have to create an Intergovernmental Agreement with the school that will require the school district to manage and develop the property where the ballfield is currently located and in turn the town will facilitate the Get Outdoors Colorado Grant that was awarded to the school to help with costs associated with development.

The school remains on schedule with construction and will be moving into the new building during Christmas vacation in December. “We are on track to have the annexation complete by the time the school needs to move children into the building sometime in the first few weeks of January 2020,” said Farish.

Though it has been a time-consuming process, the town will gain several acres of land through the annexation process. The process is in compliance with the one-sixth contiguity qualifications required by the state. The town will also request that the county waive the annexation impact report which is common practice when time is of the essence.

“It made the process much easier to finalize with substantial compliance of the petitioners,” finished Farish.