San Juan, Puerto Rico – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated over $3.3 million to the municipalities of Barranquitas and Vega Baja to repair several recreational facilities that will benefit communities and visitors.

These allocations for damage following Hurricane María are aimed at addressing what are known as alternate projects. Alternate projects under Public Assistance take place when a community benefits from a different project, as opposed to restoring the project to its original pre-disaster state.

“The needs of communities can change over time and our agency keeps this in mind when evaluating permanent projects with the municipalities. By working as a team, we strive to ensure that the works represent not only a reconstruction but new and better opportunities for all the residents of our towns,” said Deputy Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator Andrés García Martinó.

The Calle Abajo Pablo Pérez Figueroa Community Center in the municipality of Barranquitas is one of the projects under these funds. What was previously a basketball court will now serve as a multipurpose space for around 200 families to celebrate social and educational activities, while strengthening plans to repopulate the urban area.

Pablo Pérez Figueroa lived in the Melitón Perelez community for about 95 years. The facilities that today bear his name mean a lot to the residents, particularly to Mildred and Nelson Pérez Santiago, children of the Barranquitas honoree. “We were eager for a center where cultural or entertainment activities could be carried out. We also have the goal of establishing a center where students can receive tutoring or study aid,” explained Nelson Pérez Santiago.

The new facilities received over $254,000 in agency funds and include an activity room, restrooms, parking lot, and repairs to the gates.

The mayor of Barranquitas, Elliot Colón Blanco, explained that the community already has another basketball court nearby, which is why they understood the need to replace the court with a community center. “For our municipality and for myself, projects like these have to continue developing in our town, because they are of benefit to several communities.”.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Vega Baja also received obligations for two alternate projects. On the one hand, the basketball court, the baseball park and the butterfly garden for El Trece Recreational Area will be renovated; and new areas such as a hostel, a restaurant, a game room and a swimming pool will be built within the facilities. About $2.3 million will address these works, which will include mitigation measures for the baseball park and recreational park.

El Trece receives about 600 people during the summer season. Once the alternate project is completed, the municipality of Vega Baja estimates that this amount could double, while also encouraging tourist visits to the area.

Likewise, the Puerto Nuevo Recreational Area and the La Casona Kiosks in this same municipality will be consolidated into better quality facilities for citizens and tourists with the help of over $802,000 from FEMA. The space, which could create some 15 jobs, will have 14 kiosks, a concrete path, bike corrals and restrooms, among other arrangements.

For his part, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), Manuel A. Laboy Rivera, said, “Communities evolve as generations develop. For this reason, alternate projects allow reconstruction works to be adjusted to current needs. At COR3, we will continue to assist subrecipients in these processes in search of maximizing the resources allocated to the development of these works.”

To date, FEMA has awarded more than $30.6 billion for over 10,700 Public Assistance projects aimed at rebuilding a more resilient Puerto Rico. Of these, more than $3.8 billion are earmarked for over 6,400 municipality projects throughout the island.

For more information about Puerto Rico’s recovery,  visit fema.gov/disaster/4339, fema.gov/disaster/4473 and recovery.pr. Follow us on our social media at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, Facebook.com/COR3pr and Twitter @COR3pr.

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Calle Abajo Community Center, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico

BARRANQUITAS, Puerto Rico (October 24, 2022) – The Calle Abajo Pablo Pérez Figueroa Community Center in the municipality of Barranquitas is one of the alternate projects under Public Assistance. What was previously a basketball court will now serve as a multipurpose space for around 200 families to celebrate social and educational activities, while strengthening plans to repopulate the urban area.  Photo FEMA/ Alvin J. Báez Hernández