The city of Jordan won its case against St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

A judge favored the city, which is trying to widen the road at the intersection of highways 21 and 282, after the church's lawyer argued that church land cannot be taken in this instance, City Attorney Annette Margarit said.

The city council met tonight in a closed meeting to discuss how it should proceed with condemnation proceedings against the church. Condemnation is a legal process by which land can be taken from a private owner for a project that serves a public good. After the closed meeting Margarit said she received direction from the city council about how to move forward, but the councilmembers' direction was not announced once the council reopened its meeting.

Securing church-owned land on two of the four corners of the intersection is imperative to the completion of a largely state-funded $2.8 million project that spans from the intersection by the historic church east to the Highway 282 bridge over Sand Creek.

Some residents and church members have been loudly opposed to the project since last fall, when protesters brought in Herman the bovine billboard to make a plea to public: "Save the church. That's no bull."