Comunicados de Prensa

The Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi, along with the Secretary of the Department of Housing, William Rodríguez Rodríguez, and the Mayor of Las Piedras, Miguel "Mickey" López, announced today the beginning of the reconstruction of the municipality's Recreation Plaza with a $3.3 million investment, including funds from the Community Development and Economic Revitalization Program (CDBG-DR) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“With an investment of $3.3 million, I am pleased to announce today that the Las Piedras Public Plaza will be reconstructed. As part of the project, the underground parking lot will be demolished, creating a more resilient, accessible, and safer downtown area for the entire community. With this impact, we will reactivate the economy of the town center with commercial, cultural, and recreational activities. This public facility project will last 12 months and will provide services benefiting the entire community, especially in the town areas, neighborhoods and communities of Las Piedras, neighboring municipalities, their visitors, and the eastern part of Puerto Rico,” Pierluisi said of the 10,000-square-foot project.

The CEO added that “the City Revitalization Program is designed to impact low-income people. With this project, the municipality of Las Piedras will impact approximately 37,340 people, of whom 30,460 are low- or moderate-income. We want to improve public spaces for people with disabilities by building new, safer, and more resilient sidewalks, as well as improving cultural areas, art installations, and recreational areas so that our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters can enjoy a healthy, family-oriented, and harmonious environment.”

The reconstruction of the Recreation Plaza will include improvements to lighting, furniture, sidewalks, and reforestation of green spaces, among others. These improvements will create a pleasant recreational environment and benefit the surrounding small local businesses and attract tourists to the region.

For his part, the Secretary stated that “our commitment to supporting municipalities remains firm, as we recognize their importance in the economic development of urban areas and in promoting infrastructure rehabilitation that can attract private investment to urban centers. We continue to promote the use of reconstruction funds to achieve the transformation of Puerto Rico.”

The City Revitalization Program, administered by Vivienda (Department of Housing), allocates funds to municipal governments to carry out crucial recovery activities aimed at reinvigorating city centers, urban centers, and key community corridors.

With a total allocation of $1.29 billion, the program represents a significant opportunity to revitalize Puerto Rico.

The mayor of Las Piedras expressed that this project to build the public plaza of the Artisanal City "represents an important moment as it was one of my first commitments to my people when I took office as chief executive. After hard work, meetings, and funding requests, today with the laying of this cornerstone, we can say that the beginning of what will be a dignified and modern space for all the people of Las Piedras is a reality. I thank the governor of Puerto Rico and all the relevant agencies for lending a hand in making our plaza a reality."

López also highlighted that the improvements to the plaza will involve the demolition of an underground parking lot to strengthen the structure and will generate approximately 20 jobs during the construction process.

The main contractor for the project is Sunrise Disposable of Puerto Rico, Inc., and the firm Méndez, Brunner, Badillo & Asociados is in charge of the design of the areas.

Pierluisi asserted that the reconstruction of the Las Piedras Recreational Plaza is a significant step toward the transformation of Puerto Rico, providing quality recreational spaces and fostering local economic development. This project will improve the quality of life for residents and attract visitors to the region, thus driving growth and revitalization.

“When I was sworn in as governor, I promised that we would take advantage of federal funds, and here you have the efforts of my administration to make things happen. You are an essential part of the efforts we are making to continue rebuilding Puerto Rico. I invite you to take a leading role in this effort to help our people. I count on you, and you know that you can always count on me and my entire administration. We are here for you and for you,” Pierluisi concluded.