Police Dept., Aerostar sign agreement for new $8M HQ for FURA
Construction will take between 18 and 24 months.
An agreement between the Puerto Rico Police Department and Aerostar Airport Holdings signed Thursday marked the start of construction of a new centralized headquarters for the agency’s Forces United for Rapid Action (FURA, in Spanish) at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU).
Aerostar will invest $8 million to develop the facility which will include a 14,000-square-foot hangar and a 5,000-square-foot office area that will allow FURA to move all its operations to a “single, modern space” within the airport, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said in a press conference to announce the agreement.
“This agreement provides for all FURA components to perform their work more effectively, in a modern environment that will improve emergency response and optimize the daily operation of our teams,” he said, referring to the 20-year contract.
The facilities will include a safe and resilient space for the storage and maintenance of FURA’s aircraft, as well as a specific area for the Medical Emergency Bureau staff that collaborates in joint operations. Construction will take between 18 and 24 months, and in the meantime, FURA will rent temporary space at the airport through a lease costing the agency $8,333 a month, Pierluisi said.
Until now, FURA has operated in a dispersed manner across several locations, which has made it difficult to coordinate its services, the governor said. The new facilities will centralize all the duties of the office, “which will facilitate more efficient and coordinated work,” he said.
“For Aerostar, investing $8 million in the construction of the new hangar is investing in the security of Puerto Rico, while increasing the presence of law enforcement officers at the airport facilities,” said Aerostar President Jorge Hernández.
“With this investment, we will build first-class facilities, on par with those of other jurisdictions, so that our police officers have the best and most efficient resources. For the past six years, we have directed efforts and economic resources equivalent to approximately $15 million to reinforce the security of the Luis Muñoz Marín Airport and provide the Puerto Rico Police with the necessary tools to help them do their job,” he added.
“As a company aware of the importance of security, our policy is to contribute to law enforcement agencies in all aspects, including the economic one, to support them in their management,” he said, noting that Aerostar invests more than $8 million annual in private security and to pay state police, “to guarantee compliance with federal regulations and maintain reliable facilities for our visitors and all components of the airport community.”
“By 2025, we project that investment in this area will amount to more than $9 million,” said Hernández.
The planned facility also includes preferential access to a ramp at the airport, which will facilitate takeoff and landing operations for FURA helicopters and aircraft, as well as granting them access to the airport’s advanced navigation systems.
In addition, proximity to federal law enforcement agencies will strengthen collaboration in the fight against crime and public safety.
Police Commissioner Antonio López-Figueroa stressed the importance of this project by stating that after Hurricane Maria in 2017, the headquarters that FURA occupied for 30 years was completely destroyed.
“As a result, the operation was divided into different facilities, which represented a challenge in the logistics and coordination of the services provided by the Air Unit, as part of the Comprehensive Security Plan and in support of the other Police divisions,” he said.
