Victor Calzada / El Paso Times Luis Garibaldi of Juárez exited a Sun Metro trolley Wednesday on El Paso Street near the Paso del Norte Bridge. Garibaldi said that he takes two buses daily and that a route which would bring passengers to El Paso from Juárez would speed his daily travel. El Paso Mayor Ray Caballero and Juárez Mayor Jesus A. Delgado are working on just that -- a binational transit system.

Caballero

For El Paso officials who work on critical binational projects, a new Juárez mayor can mean starting from scratch.

"I'm on my third Juárez mayor," said El Paso Mayor Ray Caballero, who was elected last year. "The new Juárez mayor's chief concerns are security, the economic life of his city and the long waiting times at the border crossings."

Jesus A. Delgado, the new Juárez mayor, was inaugurated a month ago. Like Caballero, he is a lawyer.

"There are several issues that matter greatly to both sides of the border and that require mutual cooperation," Delgado said. "We must work together continuously if we are to make any progress."

The issues that bring the two cities together include air pollution, water and the economy. More recently, both have set their sights on a binational mass transit system that would shorten the waiting times for border commuters at the international bridges.

"We have the new Juárez mayor's backing for the binational mass transit system we want to operate," Caballero said. "I'm anxious to start this so we can revitalize our border commerce and economy."

Delgado agrees that cross-border traffic must flow faster for the sake of the border economy.

"It is a priority, and we have made trips to Mexico City to discuss this with our federal officials," he said.

The city of El Paso wants to transport passengers on Sun Metro buses across the Stanton Street bridge, which connects the centers of Juárez and El Paso. Officials on the U.S. side of the border have approved the project, but final approval by Mexico's federal government is pending.

"We had a meeting with Mexican (federal) officials in Mexico City on August 14, and they all said it was the first time a mayor from a foreign country had made a presentation on a project that would benefit both countries," said Patricia Luna, El Paso's external relations officer.

Caballero said El Paso also wants to pursue a Sister City agreement with Juárez and is working on another one with Chihuahua City. He is also pursuing a cooperative plan for emergency assistance.

For binational projects, "our success depends on the level of cooperation we're able to develop with our counter parts," Caballero said. "For me, it's not an option -- I have to get along with the mayor of Juárez, with the governor of Chihuahua, and so on. I don't get involved in their internal politics."

Delgado said relations between the two cities' governments have improved, "and are the best I have seen them in years. This exists because we have the willingness on both sides of the border to work together on matters that affect us both, as well as the entire border region, including Las Cruces and Sunland Park."

Compared with efforts by previous mayors, Caballero's outreach to Mexico is unprecedented.

Last summer, a Juárez radio station operated its news talk show "Factor 1240" from El Paso City Hall on Wednesday mornings. El Paso city officials, including the new fire chief, were among the guests interviewed. A broken antenna temporarily interrupted the station's signal and the program, but city officials said it will air again soon from City Hall, but every two weeks instead of weekly.

Alma Figueroa, director of the Juárez civil protection and ecology department, said: "We're working on new projects ... nothing much got done under the previous (interim) administration, so there's a lot of work to get done. We have a number of environmental issues to work out with El Paso and others on the U.S. side of the border.

"For example, much of our air pollution stems from emissions of old cars that U.S. people dumped on our market. Instead of selling some of these 15-year-old and older car models to a junkyard for $100, they sell the entire car for $500, and we end up with the pollution," she said.

"We cannot solve our region's problems by working as individuals," Figueroa said. "In this binational community, we share the air, water, cultures, families, and we cross the border every day."

Jesus Reynoso, director of air quality control for the El Paso City-County Health and Environmental District, serves on a joint advisory committee that includes representatives from El Paso, Juárez and Sunland Park.

"We have five air monitoring stations in Juárez ... the readings are available to both cities and are posted on the Internet," he said. "One of our next projects involves getting the readings in real time."

Over the summer, the high temperatures created potential safety problems for pedestrians who use the Paso del Norte Bridge in the Downtown. Although several federal agencies work at the bridge, the city owns the structure.

"That's why we got involved and put up a temporary canopy to provide shade," said Daryl Cole, director of El Paso's street department. "We took down two pieces of the canopy last weekend that were vandalized. We're hoping to replace them with the kind of camouflage netting used by the military, because it will withstand the wind shear better."

To reduce heat injuries, El Paso also handed out free water.

Figueroa said Juárez city officials want to begin monitoring the health conditions for people who work long hours on the Mexican side of the bridge.

Hector Gonzalez acts as the El Paso Water Utilities' liaison to Mexico on water planning and development matters.

"Juárez has a new general manager for its water utility, and we are briefing him on the issues we've been working on with them to bring him up to date," he said.

Because El Paso shares the Rio Grande and groundwater aquifers with Mexico, it is crucial to involve Juárez -- with its 1.5 million residents -- in any planning for the region's future water supply, he said.

"It's in our best interest to work together. For the first time in our history, we had signed a memorandum of understanding with their city's water utility in 1999, and we plan to update that to reflect the latest projects," Gonzalez said. "Our binational relations are the best they've ever been."

El Paso's water utility is working toward a feasibility study for a water master plan for the region that will include Juárez and Doña Ana County.

The Central Business Association, which represents businesses in Central El Paso, conducts luncheon meetings that often feature speakers who talk about border issues. The Juárez mayor will be among the guests later this year.

"It's important to keep the communications flowing," said Alonso Flores, the CBA's operations director. "The gatherings are designed to help inform members and the community about important issues, such as the long lines at the bridges."

The meetings are on the first and and third Fridays of each month, and they are open to the public.

Under Delgado, the city of Juárez has asked the FBI office in El Paso for assistance for its city police force, mainly with training. In recent surveys, Juárez residents have said that crime the No. 1 problem in their city. The new Juárez police chief, Armando Castañeda, previously received training from U.S. law enforcement agencies including the FBI.

"The request is under consideration at the moment," Cruz said. "The FBI has conducted training for Mexican city, state and federal police over the years through its year-round training programs. It's one of the things we do."

In conjunction with the Juárez Merchants Association, the organization put on the first International posada last December.

"This event was pulled off despite the extra security measures that went into effect at the bridges after September 11," said Flores. He said it's important for leaders of both cities to get along.

"Promoting tourism in our region also brings us together. For the first time ever, the El Paso Downtown Management District included downtown Juárez in its map for El Paso tourists and conventioneers," he said. "We know that when people come to El Paso they want to see Juárez.

"The next big issue we're working on is the stability of the maquiladora industry. Anything that can be done to keep the maquiladoras here, instead of having them go to China or other places, will benefit both of our communities."

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com