The mayors of Camuy, Hatillo and Lares announced on Sunday a joint push to transfer ownership of the Camuy River Cave Park to the Tourism Company and to begin proceedings for a public-private partnership to rehabilitate and promote the park as a tourist destination. In what Hatillo mayor Carlos Román Román called 'a historic agreement,' the three executives signed resolutions approved last week by their municipal legislatures, following a 10-point agreement reached in an October 8 meeting.
The pact seeks the park’s full reopening through a public-private partnership under which municipal patent revenues, the municipal sales tax, ticket sales and jobs would be distributed equitably among the three towns, which share the boundaries of the recreation area. The resolutions, numbered 12 in Hatillo, 39 in Camuy and 41 in Lares, will be sent to Governor Jenniffer González and the Legislative Assembly.
The park, currently under the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA), has been closed for extended periods since hurricanes Irma and María in 2017. Camuy mayor Gabriel Hernández said the 268-acre park has had only 2% developed since its 1984 creation. DRNA Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez announced two weeks ago that the park will reopen before year’s end, backed by roughly $5 million in combined funds.
Governor González vetoed a legislative measure last August that would have ceded the property to Camuy.