Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Border & Immigration

Donated Lifeguard Towers Need Rescuing from Tijuana Parking Lot

At least five of the lifeguard towers a San Diego group donated to Mexico need some rescuing. As KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson explains, the towers are stuck in a parking lot blocks from the beach.

Tijuana lifeguards' international liaison, Michael Kieley says they're searching for the more than $3,200 it will cost to install the towers on the beach.

About a month ago, the Imperial Beach Lifeguard Association saved the 16 towers from the landfill on the U.S. side of the border.

Advertisement

They'd reached the end of their lifespan on beaches around San Diego County.

The association organized the towers' donation to Mexican beach cities, instead of paying approximately $20,000 to dump them.

The towers were stranded at the Otay Mesa border crossing for a few weeks while groups on both sides of the U.S. Mexico border negotiated with Mexican customs.

Kieley says Tijuana lifeguards are hoping businesses and charitable organizations can help cover the costs of building new metal bases for the towers. Each tower needs a base in order to be installed on the beach.