News report by NOTICEL Link: https://www.noticel.com/article/20230920/arranca-la-reconstruccion-del-parque-felix-millan-en-yabucoa/

Published date: Sep 20, 2023 

Announcing the start of the work, Governor Pedro Pierluisi noted that the reconstruction of the stadium, home of the Yabucoa Azucareros and headquarters of the AA Major League Baseball team, “is the second largest municipal project, after the Vieques Hospital, with a FEMA funding obligation of $26.1 million. Working together with our COR3 office, the municipality of Yabucoa was able to receive a $6.5 million advance through the Working Capital Advance pilot program to carry out the design, planning, and start of the reconstruction project.”
“This project, so highly requested by the people of Yabucoa, was designed according to current and applicable building and design codes, as well as the new wind and earthquake load codes, and in full compliance with the ADA. We continue to rebuild a resilient Yabucoa for the safety and benefit of our people,” said Mayor Rafael Surillo.

Also present during the event were Manuel A. Laboy Rivera, Executive Director of the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience (COR3); Ray J. Quiñones, Secretary of the Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD); ​​and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel.
Pierluisi stated that Yabucoa is one of the municipalities with the most reconstruction work underway, as Hurricane Maria had a direct impact on this area when it made landfall six years ago today.

“Consequently, we have 223 municipal projects in Yabucoa for an investment of over $110 million, and when we add the other public projects, the investment in Yabucoa totals over $150 million in 355 projects, many of which are under construction or already in the design and planning processes,” Pierluisi stated.

In addition to this project in Yabucoa, the governor stated that $90 million is currently being invested in 86 sports facility reconstruction projects in 45 municipalities across the island.