Roosevelt Roads Redevelopment Excludes Community

By Sonia Ivette Dueño

Local activists are fighting for a place at the table for reuse planning, in the wake of the announced closure of Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in eastern Puerto Rico. On September 25, Congress approved legislation to close the massive base in Ceiba, after much negotiation between the government of Puerto Rico and Congressional leaders.

Just a week later, the Puerto Rican Commerce Secretary Milton Segarra and Resident Commissioner Anibal Acevedo Vila unveiled a Preliminary Concept Identification Reuse Study development plan for the base. The plan divides the base into five zones for an airport; science park; tourism port; waterfront neighborhood; and a mangrove eco-tourism area.

On October 23, three weeks after unveiling the report to the media, Segarra and the consultants presented it to the Ceiba community -- in English with no translations provided. The Ceiba Development Alliance (APRODEC) denounced the hearing and presented an alternate plan for use, inclusive of the water needs of the town.

Formed in August as a result of the lack of community participation in the base closure, APRODEC is composed of business, religious and community leaders. "It's absurd! It does not respond to the people's needs and it is not a sustainable development plan," said Daly Ávila, the group's spokeswoman. Further, "the information was in English and what's worse, no citizen participation was allowed, which stopped us from asking any questions about the proposed plan. We were not consulted on the development of the plan nor were we asked to comment on it," she added.

Redevelopment for the Rich?

In a press conference on November 18, Héctor Arana, an advisor to APRODEC, stated they are not against a tourist development as long as the affected community is consulted regarding any development planned. He criticized the government for trying to build a Great Wall at Roosevelt Roads to stop the integration of the Ceiba community in the process.

"There are two major differences between the government plan and the plan proposed by the neighbors in Ceiba and Naguabo," said Arana. "We propose the continued uninterrupted use of the current infrastructure in place such as the hospitals, the schools, the residences. The government in its plan does not explain what use will be given to these structures. We could use the hangars for vocational training of the community. The government proposes luxury marinas and more hotels that do not meet the immediate needs of the people of Ceiba." He pointed out that the base comprises 30% of the town of Ceiba.

According to Daly Avila, "The Plan excludes any development of the area outside of the base, in Ceiba. There is no provision for economic incentives for small business owners in Ceiba. They want to replace the Roosevelt Roads base with luxury marinas and developments our local fishermen will be unable to use and housing our residents will be unable to move into," Ávila concluded.

The consulting firms hired by Puerto Rico are headed by international conglomerate CB Richard Ellis Consulting and include Cooper, Robertson and Partners, an architecture and urban design firm, as well as engineering company Moffat & Nichols, and Puerto Rico Management and Economic Consulting, an economics firm. Apart from the initial study they promised to generate a general master plan by December.

In response to the creation of APRODEC, the mayor of Ceiba created an alternative community group called Broad Committee for the Economic Development of Ceiba composed of representatives from local business, police, clergy, municipal employees, former and current Roosevelt Roads employees, and Fisherman’s Association. In its initial meeting, APRODEC members were excluded. Two of the members of the Mayor’s group, local business leader Rubén Tiburcio and Ramon Carreras, a retired military employee, were also named by Governor Sila Calderon to the Steering Committee for the Development of Roosevelt Roads. The creation of these two community groups may mean the process will be a contentious one.

According to federal source close to the process, the Navy has made Roosevelt Roads a priority over Vieques at this time. Navy officials say their intent in focusing on Roosevelt Roads is to ensure the closure occurs in the best way possible in order to make it a model for the massive round of base closings scheduled for 2005. The closure process is on a fast track, since the legislation requires the base to close within six months of enactment of the Act in September. The Navy plans to shut down all operational services by April 2004.

The Navy will first offer the property to sister federal agencies to allow them to retain use of parts of the land, such as the Army, which has been negotiating to retain an area for reserve unit use. The Navy is starting environmental baseline studies, but they are not expected to be completed until mid-2006, depending on whether they find contaminants and what process is used to clean up the property. The base closure law, known as BRAC, has a provision for use of the land by homeless people, and the Puerto Rican government will be offered the land for this use by March 2004, but it can decide not to take this option.

Any private sector sale of property is scheduled for 2006, after the federal and Puerto Rican governments decide what property they will retain. Sixty percent of the profits from the sale will go to the Navy, with the remainder retained by the Puerto Rican government. This timeline is highly dependent on the Puerto Rican government creating a development authority, the level of contamination, and the local community re-zoning process.

Sources: Preliminary Concept Identifications Report U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Reuse Study, Cooper, Robertson & Partners; Moffatt & Nichol; Puerto Rico Management & Economic Consulting, Inc. 10/2/03; interview with Daly Avila, 11/13/03; Holahoy.com 9/25, 10/07/03; press release 10/5/03, www.gobierno.pr; El Nuevo Dia, 9/24, 9/25/03; Associated Press 10/03/03; WAPA Radio interview, 11/18/03.