Puerto Rico legislators press Agriculture to reopen Arroyo’s closed fishermen facility, seek ramp and site visit

The House of Representatives’ Southern Region commission held a public hearing on the prolonged closure of Arroyo’s fishermen facility — the Villa Pesquera (also called Casa del Pescador) — and pressed the Department of Agriculture to explain why the building and site remain unused while the municipality has continued to pay utilities and maintenance.

Mayor Erick Bachel Román told the commission the hearing “nace de la resolución 103” and that the case arises from a petition by Arroyo fishermen asking for the facility and ramp to be returned to service. He said the structure and the parcel were transferred to the Department of Agriculture, but that the Municipality of Arroyo has borne water, electric and maintenance costs while the building remained closed for about a decade.

The hearing focused on who is responsible for reopening the site and building a usable ramp. Commission members and local fishing-association leaders said the facility has been closed for roughly 10–11 years and that municipal efforts to keep it usable have not produced operations. Mayor Bachel Román told the panel that, because the facilities were not in operation during federal inspections, the municipality had to return about $97,000 in federal CDBG funds after inspectors concluded the grant money had not been used as intended: “el municipio tuvo que devolver cerca de 97000 dólares de fondos federales,” he said.

Fishermen’s leaders pressed for two immediate priorities: reopening the Villa Pesquera for fishermen’s use and constructing a ramp to restore reliable access to the sea. Tomás Rodríguez, president of Villa Pesquera Calle Pescado Inc., read a letter his association sent to the agriculture secretary outlining a plan that included a ramp, a floating platform and restoration of a historic pier; he told the commission the association never received a written reply. Tomás Rodríguez said, “la prioridad para mí es construir una rampa para los pescadores.”

Félix Lavoi, president of Asociación Coral Marín, described equipment losses and damage to gear stored during the closure and urged faster agency action. Both association leaders said lack of access to the sea has forced many fishermen to operate informally from private homes and small, ad hoc locations instead of from the designated facility.

Mayor Bachel Román said Arroyo has sought help from federal agencies and met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; he said the Corps agreed to study and design options for the bay and that, after an agreement, the Corps expects to deliver more specific recommendations within about 18 months. He clarified that Corps involvement would not automatically include construction and that later procurement or construction steps would be separate.

Commission members accepted the mayor’s petition for an on-site ocular visit in Arroyo, requested any written responses from the Department of Agriculture to the municipality’s requests, and signaled an intent to summon the agriculture secretary for a future hearing. The mayor said the commission already has a scheduled meeting with the agriculture and natural-resources secretaries in Arroyo on May 2. The commission chair asked staff to collect documents from the municipality and agriculture to put on the record.

No formal vote on a bill or ordinance occurred at the hearing. The record shows the commission took the matter as a public-investigative hearing and set follow-up steps: an ocular visit to Arroyo, requests for agency documentation about past administrative responses, and a re-invitation of the agriculture secretary to answer the commission’s questions.

Officials and fishermen said reopening the facility and building a permanent ramp are essential to restoring the local fishing economy and preventing further loss of federal or municipal funds. Commissioners said they would continue hearings until the associations and agencies agree a path forward.