Ceiba mayor urges gov’t to jumpstart economic development of eastern region

Ceiba Mayor Samuel Rivera Báez (Facebook via Jenniffer González Colón)

By THE STAR STAFF

Ceiba Mayor Samuel Rivera Báez has called upon the island government to promote projects in the eastern region, an area impacted severely by the shutdown of the U.S. Naval Station at Roosevelt Roads.

Rivera Báez presented an official report to the Special Senate Committee of the Whole in which he outlined the fiscal and socioeconomic challenges facing Ceiba and the eastern region of the island.

Rivera Báez highlighted that since the U.S. Navy’s departure in 2004, Ceiba has suffered significant job losses, a decline in businesses, and a decrease in revenues, which has weakened its economic foundation.

The situation has worsened due to reductions in funding sources, such as the Equalization and Exemption funds, as well as obligations related to PayGo pension payments and ASES healthcare payments. In 2021, those resulted in a loss of more than $1.8 million, equivalent to 23% of the municipal budget.

Despite the challenges, Ceiba has not remained inactive,” Rivera Báez noted. The municipality has launched initiatives for urban revitalization, the rehabilitation of abandoned properties, land use planning, and tourism development, particularly at Los Machos Beach.

“These efforts are important steps toward repopulation, attracting private investment, and creating jobs,” the mayor said. “However, we need the support of the state to advance further.”

Specifically, Rivera Báez called for the redevelopment of the former Roosevelt Roads naval base to be recognized and certified as a critical project under Title V of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA. Rivera Báez said the designation is essential to attract private investment in sectors such as tourism, housing, energy and transportation, thereby ensuring sustainable economic growth for Ceiba and the entire eastern region of Puerto Rico.

“The development of Roosevelt Roads goes beyond Ceiba’s borders and should be viewed as a regional and national economic driving force,” he stressed. “This certification would provide certainty and stability to investors, which is crucial for transforming decades of economic loss into opportunities for the future.”

The Local Redevelopment Authority for Roosevelt Roads (LRA) is the instrumentality established by the Puerto Rico government to implement and execute the reuse plan of the former military base, known as the 2014 Master Plan. While the LRA has more than seven requests for proposals for different projects to be developed at the former base, including a space port, the status of the projects is unknown.

Roosevelt Roads consists of 8,720 acres of land that holds significant economic, ecological, historical and cultural value. However, the LRA is responsible for the development and operation of only 3,400 acres. Notably, the airport and surrounding area, which encompasses 1,600 acres, has been transferred to the Puerto Rico Ports Authority. Additionally, 3,400 acres recognized for their ecological importance have been handed over to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

Within the 3,400 acres managed by the LRA, some 800 acres are currently undergoing environmental remediation by the United States. Once the remediation process is completed, ownership of that land will be transferred from the U.S. Navy to the LRA.

The mayor reiterated that the sustainability of municipalities should be regarded not merely as an expense, but as a vital investment in Puerto Rico’s economic development.