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Sunland Park Eyes Border Crossing

Posted on: Thursday, 3 November 2005, 00:00 CST

By Diana M. Alba, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.

Nov. 2--For years talk of a border crossing at Anapra has been tossed around among Sunland Park officials and residents, but that talk appears to be translating into action.

An engineering consultant was hired in July by the city of Sunland Park to conduct a feasibility study of the project -- the first step in gaining a port of entry -- and several officials from both sides of the border have recently written letters in support.

Sunland Park officials view the noncommercial port-of-entry as a critical part of the city's plan to become an entertainment mecca in the El Paso area. Attractions would include a riverwalk, an amphitheater for Mount Cristo Rey, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino and the soon-to-be built Western Playland Amusement Park.

Sunland Park Mayor Ruben Segura said an Anapra border crossing would boost economies on both sides of the international line.

"Texas has been very successful in connecting its economy with Mexico," he said. "New Mexico hasn't been very successful. The population growth in Deming and Columbus isn't there. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen here." Segura said if all plans went as smoothly as possible, construction on a $26 million port could start in as few as 13 to 16 months.

A Texas Department of Transportation flow chart on the federal approval process for a new port warns that getting necessary authorization could take years. Segura said Sunland Park has a head start on the process because of a previous attempt by the state to apply for an Anapra permit. This happened when the state was seeking approval for the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

"I think we understand it's a very extensive process, but there are a lot of parties working very diligently to make this happen," Segura said. "Work is just barely starting, but we have accomplished a lot of the political component." An Oct. 15 letter to the city from U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said he supports the building of a port. Letters backing the port have also been written by the mayor of Juarez, and the governor of Chihuahua.

Chris Gallegos, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who supported the port at Santa Teresa, said Domenici isn't supporting the bid for a Sunland Park port.

"The senator's position on this has been that there are enough challenges to keeping New Mexico's existing ports of entry Š developed that he has been hesitant to support any new border crossings in the state," he said.

The state is required to submit the request from the federal government for a new port. Last year, Gov. Bill Richardson and the economic development department announced they were withdrawing support for a new border crossing, a position they have since reversed. Sunland Park officials claimed the move was an attempt to get the city to resolve legal issues with Doña Ana County regarding an El Paso company's plans for a large-scale development in Santa Teresa. The city and county did that in February, when they agreed to form a joint authority that will oversee the Verde Group's project.

"We're supporting it," said Jaime Campos, executive director for the New Mexico Border Authority, an arm of the state's economic development department. "We're going to help in any way we can to get it in place." Segura said the governor is once again supporting the plan.

"We've resolved our differences with the governor," he said. "We're working very closely with him." Anapra resident Frank Bentacourt, 72, who has lived in the area since 1960, said he thinks a port of entry would be good for the city because it would make trips to Mexico easier. He has avoided going to Juarez in recent years because of the long waits drivers often have to endure when crossing at El Paso's three ports.

"I used to go every week," he said. "It's a little more difficult because it's sometimes bumper-to-bumper traffic." Bentacourt said a port also would draw visitors from Mexico, along with their spending dollars, which would help local businesses.

"Sometimes people from Mexico say they'd like to go to the Sunland Park Mall, but with the bridge here, it would probably be faster," he said. "It might be expensive for both governments, but in the long run, it would cover the money." The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, a transportation planning group, in 2001 passed a resolution supporting the new port. U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Roger Maier said his agency has not yet taken a stance on the issue. "It would be premature for us to address something like that until our opinion is sought through the proper channels," he said.

Segura said the results of the feasibility study, which will estimate how many people would use the port and examine the environmental impact of the project, will allow the city to begin seeking out revenue bonds to finance the project. Because the city could charge a toll to use the port, the facility would pay for itself, he said.

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Source: Las Cruces Sun-News

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