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Washington, D.C. – Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, Luis Fortuño, announced today the allocation of over half a million dollars for the repairs and restoration the San Juan National Historic Park, which includes El Morro and San Cristobal Forts. The Resident Commissioner managed to secure $600,000 in funds within the bill under consideration by the Appropriations Committee with jurisdiction over the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other related entities, despite the ongoing budget cuts in several of these agencies.
Fortuño said that these “funds are of vital importance for the maintenance and preservation of the forts of San Felipe del Morro and San Cristóbal, which have tremendous historical and cultural significance in Puerto Rico.”
The superintendent of the San Juan National Historic Site, Walter Chávez, thanked the resident commissioner for his efforts, since “this allocation, in addition to the budget approved for next year, will allow us to start several critical projects designated by the agency that have so far been stagnant due to a lack of funds.” Chávez said the funds may be used to start the restoration work on the lighthouse and the interior walls of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro’s main plaza.
The funds to be used in these two projects are in addition to funds obtained by Fortuño last year to repair the sewage system at the San Cristóbal fort, the bathroom renovations at El Morro, and the improvements to the access road to the fort.
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