Ríos Pierluisi: No indication that former naval base will be reactivated.

By EVA LLORENS

Roosevelt Roads Local Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Carlos J. Ríos Pierluisi said Monday that the agency has no indication that the former naval base in Ceiba will be reactivated, despite recent public speculation. During a roundtable with reporters, he clarified that the U.S. Air Force currently has a short-term contract to use several small facilities near the former base’s airport.

“I have no information that these facilities will be reactivated as a naval base, as they once were,” the director said.

He also said the presence of the military, as happened during the recent intervention in Venezuela, has not altered the redevelopment of former naval base lands.

The official noted that although military presence on the property remains limited to the immediate airport area, the Air Force expressed interest in leasing several nearby structures for logistics and storage purposes.

The contract, signed in January, covers a six-month period -- initially three months, renewable for an additional three. The authority bills “about $25,000 per month” for the lease, and the agreement is registered with the Office of the Comptroller.

The facilities involved are small, bunker-type structures historically used for storing various materials. They are located near the airport and accessible via the internal road network. Ríos Pierluisi said the Air Force “had not, until now, fully utilized them.”

Beyond the storage lease, he said there is no other military presence in the sections of Roosevelt Roads under the authority’s administration.