Eleven years ago the government received control of the lands of the former Roosevelt Roads naval base; however, an audit published today by the Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico, Yesmín Valdivieso, reveals that the facilities of the Naval Station are deteriorated and are not being used.
The transfer of Parcels I and II of the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base was completed between 2012 and 2013 under the administrations of former governors Luis Fortuño and Alejandro García Padilla.
Meanwhile, in the period covered by the audit, from July 1, 2016 to September 15, 2021, it notes that after nine years had elapsed since the transfer of three parcels to the Authority, and making investments of $30,792,029, it had only 14 projects with 17 tenants occupying one third of the acres of the Authority's land. Meanwhile it maintains a debt of $24,498,168,
On the other hand, it points out that the Authority had not hired a master developer, following an evaluation of eight proponents in 2014, and after incurring expenses in that regard of $459,455.
In addition, after formalizing a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture, to grant a loan of $4,936,000 and receive a grant of $666,200 for the purpose of carrying out improvements to the drinking-water system, this is in the phase of beginning the bidding process.
As of June 2021, only 392 jobs had been created, according to the reports of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.
The audit recommends that the Governor and the Legislative Assembly take the appropriate measures regarding the delay in the redevelopment of the lands and the facilities of the Naval Station.
The report also notes that the Authority did not require, in a timely manner, work schedules and progress reports in lease contracts formalized from 2015 to 2018 for the operation of the shipyard and a dry dock and for the development of a residential-rental resort community.
“Compliance with these contractual requirements occurred up to four years later with the schedules and up to two years later with the progress reports. These situations do not allow for control of the status of the works nor for supervising compliance with the contracts,” the Comptroller states.
It was in July 2020 that former governor Wanda Vázquez laid the first stone of the first project for the development of the lands, which consisted of the rehabilitation of some 700 military houses to convert them into hotel villas.
Meanwhile, the report also notes that the Authority does not maintain a technical file per project and the Board did not provide for examination evidence that the executive director had presented three of the five work plans, nor six budgets. “In this way, the Authority could not exercise adequate control of the file, and in addition, the oversight work of the Office of the Comptroller's auditors is hindered,” it mentions.
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