COUNTY, SB , HARLINGEN, TO INK COLD STORAGE DEAL

By Juan Montoya
For months, county officials under former Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos tried to interest City of Brownsville officials and administrators with the Brownsville Economic Development Council to collaborate in establishing cold storage facilities to cash in on the produce market flowing in as a result of the newly-finished Mazatlan-Matamoros Super highway.
Brownsville, across the river from Matamoros at the eastern terminus of the so-called Supervia, would have been ideal to transport produce to points in the interior of the United States and over the Intercoastal Waterway.
In December 2013, Mexican officials held a ribbon cutting for the highway, officially opening the superhighway for business.
The new route essentially connects Mazatlan, Sinaloa to deep South Texas. The state of Sinaloa is what some call the bread basket of Mexico with nearly 70-80 percent of fruits and vegetables originating from this state.
"There was no reason why Brownsville could not have taken advantage of this opportunity, but as hard as we tried to get them interested in constructing cold-storage facilities on the bridges that are jointly owned by the county and the city, they didn't show much interest in the project," said Cris Valadez, now border initiatives coordinator for Secretary of State Carlos Cascos' Office.
"When we approached Harlingen and Los Indios to see if they were interested in sharing the cost of placing the cold storage facilities there, they jumped at the chance," he said. "The BEDC said they already had an office and staff in Colombia which they were trying to start shipping produce here already."
Yet, despite the expense of operating an office and staffing it in Colombia, there has been no movement in commerce to Brownsville to date.
On Tuesday, the Cameron County Commissioners Court will consider entering into an interlocal agreement with the cities of Harlingen and San Benito to finance a cold storage facility at the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios.
Both cities have tried to make that bridge more commercially attractive to truckers on the Mexican side hauling produce. For years, truckers, noting that the Pharr bridge in Hidalgo County has cold storage facilities, have bypassed the Cameron County spans.
But with the psoposed construction of the storage facilities at Los Indios, it gives Mexican haulers the option of moving the produce closer to the markets they seek. Already, at least three trucking companies have expressed an interest in moving their wares through Los Indios.
The companies are MLS Freight Logistics, doing business as Mike’s Loading Service, which is based in Edinburg, Texas; Clúster de Transporte y Logística (CTYL) de Nuevo León, which is based in Monterrey, Mexico; and RS Transfer, which is based in Matamoros, Mexico.
José H. Hernández, Jr., logistics manager for MLS Freight Logistics, wrote Valadez: “Thank you for taking the time to show us around the Los Indios Bridge facilities and sharing the upcoming proposed projects, like the cold storage. Since we handle fresh and frozen loads for our customers daily, this proposal would widen the options available along the Rio Grande Valley border with Mexico. Please keep us informed of any development in regards to said projects as we are eager to explore future opportunities that lead to new business.”
Pharr fresh produce imports are predicted to double over the coming years as a result of the new superhighway. By contrast, only about 200 trucks cross daily at the Los Indios Bridge now.
About 13 years ago, Pharr was the first to create a cold inspection area, so produce can be offloaded and better preserved for inspection in a cold area.
Cold inspection is a huge advantage to exporters who are able to transport their produce without breaking the cold chain and virtually guarantees a product with a longer shelf life. Pharr has also added more inspection areas, a $400,000 investment paid for by the city, which will modernize and enlarge the cold inspection docks.
Ownership of the four-lane international bridge is divided. Cameron County owns 50 percent, the City of Harlingen 25 percent and the City of San Benito 25 percent, county judge Pete Sepulveda told the Rio Grande Guardian.
The funding for the cold storage facility would be split in the same way.
“That is the discussion we had and that probably makes the most sense. We are probably looking at that – 50 percent by the county and 25 percent each from Harlingen and San Benito.”
San Benito Mayor Celeste Sanchez is also an enthusiastic supporter of the storage facilities and told the online newspaper that:
 "The Los Indios Bridge has great potential for more crossings. Together with our regional partners – the City of Harlingen, Cameron County, the Port of Brownsville, and others –  we are committed to work together to make that happen. Yes, we want to increase crossings to increase revenue, but that is only part of the story. The bridge is a critical asset that we must use to recruit new companies to San Benito and the bridge industrial area. To import Mexican produce, for example, a cold storage building is eventually going to have to be built.”
San Benito EDC’s Solomon Torres agreed and told the newspaper that “There is a consensus to partner financially in constructing a cold storage building at the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios. Harlingen and San Benito would each contribute 25 percent of the cost and the County would contribute the other 50 percent. A cost estimate will be revised and distributed to the group. We think it will be about a $450,000-$500,000 project. We will then proceed to request proposals to build it and proposals for an entity to operate it. Harlingen will likely to take the lead,” Torres said."