In a letter to the county commission, Sunland Parks mayor Javier Perea, mentions the economic activity and growth of Santa Teresa, writing that the town’s global exports “increased by 31% and exports to Mexico increased by 68%.”
According to Mayor Perea, the town can see more growth “if economic activity in the area is carefully planned for sustainable growth.” And that is why the city is calling for a delay.
“Before the County Commission commits to a deal of this scale, it must show the public exactly how they expect to secure water, road capacity, and housing options needed for this project,” Mayor Perea wrote. “Anything else would be gambling with the future of our community.”
Sunland park’s city manager Mario Juarez-Infante elaborated on the water concern.
“When a project of this scale comes in and we have almost no information that’s been made available to the city, to our staff, to the constituents that's a precious resource. And so, we’re representing the interest of an important resource here and we just need to understand what kind of water demands are needed and can we sustain that can we provide it long term,” Juarez-Infante said.
Because of the proximity to Santa Teresa, the concern over roads is that they will be heavily used during the project's construction according to Juarez-Infante.
“They’ll be affecting our roads, they’ll be affecting our air quality with the increased traffic,” Juarez-Infante said.
The project has promised to bring 750 jobs to the area, which is a concern for the city because of the lack of housing.
“Most of those people are anticipated they would live in Sunland Park. We need to make sure that we’re planning all of these infrastructure needs and scenarios and that we can provide that quality of life that not only our current residents have, but future residents,” Juarez-Infante said.
Juarez-Infante said he met with one of the representatives of project Jupiter.
“Why ask me for a meeting two days before the vote? The answer is because they want to earn the city's trust,” Juarez-Infante said.
During the meeting, it was said that Sunland Park does not have jurisdictional authority on the vote, but Juarez-Infante does encourage those who do to keep a collaborative relationship with the city.
“All of these residents are county residents here in the city of Sunland Park and their voices need to be heard,” Juarez-Infante said.
If the vote is passed, Juarez-Infante said city officials will keep representing residents of Sunland Park.
“If we’re committing water, if we’re committing other infrastructure that we actually have the resources to provide that. So, our commitment is just to continue to push forward for a seat at the table,” Juarez-Infante said.
City Manager Juarez-Infante said there has been no response from the county to delay the vote.
KRWG reached out to the county and have not heard back.
