From Deseret News archives:
West Valley delegation is visiting Veracruz
Group hopes to strengthen ties to Veracruz state
Mayor Dennis Nordfelt, assistant city manager Paul Isaac and Utah Cultural Center executive director Ross Olsen made the trip Sunday and will stay in the eastern coastal state until Friday. They are there, city manager Wayne Pyle said, on a "reciprocal trip" to pay a visit to a region whose governor visited West Valley in May.
Pyle said the city's interactions with the Mexican state started when officials in Veracruz heard about the city's cultural center and its relatively large, diverse population — especially its large Hispanic population, which makes up about 20 percent of the city. When officials from Veracruz visited the city, they brought with them a 6-ton, 7-foot-tall replica of an ancient Olmec head, which is now on display at the center, 1355 W. 3100 South.
Veracruz, a long, narrow state on the Gulf of Mexico, includes such cities as Tampico, Xalapa and Veracruz City. Pyle said that while officials are considering creating a new sister-city relationship, this trip is more focused on strengthening "economic, cultural and friendship ties" with the entire state.
Pyle said the trip will cost the city about $10,000.
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche.
E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com
