Sixteen lifeguard towers that a San Diego group is trying to donate to cities in Mexico are stuck on the US side of the border. As KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson explains, the group is having difficulty negotiating Mexican customs.
The Imperial Beach Lifeguard Association rescued the towers from being sent to the landfill.
Aaron Quintanar is with the association.
He says the towers were once at beaches around San Diego County. They’d reached the end of their lifespan.
He says instead of paying approximately 20-thousand dollars to send them to the dump they‘re giving them a new life in Baja.
"The future has really been transformed for these towers from being heaps in landfills to being integral parts of beach safety agencies in providing safe environment for beach visitors in Northern Baja California."
However, Quintanar says the towers are stuck in storage in Otay Mesa while his group tries to get permission from Mexican customs to take them across the border.
Quintanar says officials from the Baja cities that will get the towers have been lobbying customs to no avail.
