This document summarizes a needs assessment conducted in Ceiba, Puerto Rico after the closing of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. The needs assessment was participatory, involving community leaders and organizations. It identified key needs in areas like youth activities, health facilities, safety from crime and drugs, education and skills training, and economic development. For the former naval base lands, residents proposed developing a hospital, educational facilities, and an amusement park. Recommendations included addressing drug problems, promoting recreational and cultural activities, training residents in skills like crafts and business, and exploring economic opportunities through tourism and local businesses. The assessment provides valuable information to help the community through the transition after the base closing.

1. Life after Closing Military Instalations: Participatory Community Needs
Assessment in Ceiba, Puerto Rico
José Manuel Huerta
Professor and Evaluation Specialist
Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service, PO Box 9031 Mayagüez, PR 00681-9031
Department of Agricultural Education
Email Address: jhuerta@uprm.edu
Jean Hernández
Home Economist
Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service
Ceiba County
San Juan Region
Email Address: hernandezj@uprm.edu
José Eduardo Martínez
Assistant Professor and Rural Sociology Specialist
Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Email Address: jomartinez@uprm.edu
The closing of military installations have profound effects on local communities that have
lived next to them for several decades. They could affect the economy negatively or they
could provide a space for regenerating the local economy if proper policies are established.
Participatory needs assessment of the people who will be most affected is essential for the
planning process of such transitions.
Program planning is an organized and systematic approach for turning ideas into actions
(Needs Assessment 1995). The essential elements in the program planning process include:
a) identifying issues, b) determining needs, c) setting goals and objectives, d) assessing
resources, e) forming a plan, f) implementing the plan, and f) evaluating results (Nieto &
Schaffner & Henderson, 1997). As extensively recognized in the literature, a critical
element in adult education program planning is needs assessment (Boone, 1985; Witkin,
1984). Community members at all levels need to be active participants in decisions that
affect them; therefore they should help plan programs where they are expected to
participate (Needs Assessment for, 1995).
In this paper, we present the case of the town of Ceiba, a small municipality with a
population of 18,000 residents (U.S Census Bureau 2000), located in the eastern coast of
Puerto Rico. In 1940, under the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a large navy base was
established in the area, with a size of 29,000 acres. Roosevelt Roads Naval Station was one
of the largest, and most important for the U.S. military for its capacity to conduct large
naval operations and amphibious landings in the island of Vieques. Therefore the Navy
became by far the major employer of the municipality. Their own records indicated that
the base employed 4,763 people, including military and civilian personnel. After the

2. closing in March 31, 2004, Ceiba is now described as a ghost town because of the
economic impact related to the base closing. In addition, from January 2003 to September
2004, there were 60 bankruptcies reported in Ceiba (Martínez, 2005). The impact of the
closing affected other surrounding counties as well. The economic effect the base of
Roosevelt Roads had in the economy it was estimated in $300 millions per year (Oliver,
2004).
Figure 1
Source: Aprodec. net
Purpose of the Study and Procedure
At that juncture, it was an imperative to assess the needs of the residents. It was also
needed to empower local residents to take control of their own destiny. A need to conduct
a comprehensive and integrated assessment of the county's needs, capacities and emerging
issues was identified with the local advisory committee group. The Base Closure and
Realignment Act (BRAC) gives local communities preference in determining the future use
of facilities in their area by transferring closed installations to local redevelopers and by
creating partnerships with local communities to own, operate, or maintain those
installations that remain (United States Department of Defense 2005). When military

3. activity concluded at Roosevelt Roads, the redevelopment plan that provides the proposal
for the reuse of the facilities did not included a community need assessment.
The study was designed to determine the perceived needs, emerging issues and concerns of
community citizens that needed to be addressed by local and state-wide agencies and
organizations after the closing of Roosevelt Roads. The study is also part of an initiative
that seeks to strengthen entrepreneurship skills among residents and empower them for
establishing their own micro business. Participatory action research was used to include
representatives of local communities from different gender and age groups in the process of
planning and designing the main research questions about current problems and future use
of the base to benefit the local population. The study’s findings will also facilitate the
allocation of external resources funding to meet local needs. The results will provide an
excellent tool for the decision makers regarding the use of the facilities located at the
former Roosevelt Roads marine base. The basics of the study and their findings can also
assist other extension organizations and communities across the United States and all over
the world, affected by a recent closing of a military base or a similar economic loss.
Community leaders are using the findings of this study to avoid duplication of efforts
among agencies and organizations and to design programs that will address the most
critical issues and concerns of the community. By being inclusive of communities and
organizations, the participatory approach utilized in this needs assessment process resulted
in a synergistic effort that provides a more accurate portrait of community issues and
concerns.
The participants were formed by people representing the following local organizations:
agencies of the municipality of Ceiba: Community leaders, Special Communities Office (A
government agency), Youth Office, Department of Education, Police Department, Faith
Based Groups, Health Department, Federal Housing and Economics Development,
Business associations, representation of Ceiba 4H Clubs and Family and Consumer
Sciences Program, Specialists and local Home Economist of the Puerto Rico Agricultural
Extension Service.
The mentioned groups participated in several meetings held at the local Extension office.
The first step was to determine the need and conceptualization of the study. This was
followed by training in need assessment offered by the extension evaluation specialist. The
advisory group decided to focus the need assessment study in the following areas: Youth,
Health, Safety, Housing, Community, Economy, Employment, Water, Public
Transportation and Demographics. The aspect of the future use of the base was
interconnected into several areas.
The advisory group participated actively in all phases of the study, from the design,
establishing the key issues, elaboration and validation of the instrument, interviewing
process and the elaboration of the recommendations based on the findings. Traditionally,
people providing needs assessment information see themselves as individuals with special
needs that can only be met by outsiders (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993). This is not the
case of this study due to the community participation that generated the study’s ownership,

4. and because the study’s recommendations were oriented to empower the community
(Huerta & Hernández, (2005).
Figure 2
Source: aprodec.net
Methodology
Research Design.
Descriptive research was the design for this needs assessment. The study was designed to
determine the perceived needs, capacities and emerging issues and concerns of community
citizens that needed to be addressed by local and state-wide agencies and organizations
after the closing of the marine base.
Population, Sample and Data Collection
A steering committee, with a participation of 34 community leaders, representing
government, private sector, community organizations and the Agricultural Extension
Service were created in Ceiba during the fall of 2003. The participation of the group was

5. about 15 people per meeting in a year period, which is close to the number recommended
for providing a setting for effective communication and decision making (Witkin &
Altchuld, 1995).
A face to face interview was the data collection method used for the county-wide needs
assessment. The target population for the study consisted of 4,500 households in the
county of Ceiba. A stratified random sample of 450 households was drawn by geographic
setting (Urban & Rural). People in the community were informed about the needs
assessment and fifteen local volunteers attended a day long training regarding methods of
data collection using a face to face interview. Interviewers were asked to interview by
availability, providing there is one informant per household, and he or she is at least
eighteen years old.
Ninety five percent (428) of the random sample responded and provided useful data. Thus,
findings were generalized to the target population (Vélez, 2005).
Instrumentation.
The study consisted of 45 questions, distributed in the following sections:
1. Youth, Health, 2. Safety, 3. Housing, 4. Community, 5. Economy, 6. Employment, 7.
Water, 8. Public 9. Transportation and 10. Demographics. The aspect of the future use of
the U. S naval base was interconnected into several areas.
A panel of experts, consisting of professional colleagues, members of the Puerto Rico
Agricultural Extension faculty and the steering committee, established the content validity
of the instrument. A field test was conducted with 12 local community members to
establish face validity. Recommendations were incorporated into the final version of the
instrument.
Data Analysis.
Quantitative data from the county-wide face to face interview questions were analyzed with
systat for Windows 10. Descriptive statistics were used to organize and summarize the data
(i.e., frequencies, percentages and means).
Findings
Youth
The municipality of Ceiba doesn’t have places for recreational purposes to choose from
except a few community parks. A bowling alley, ice skating field, and an aquatic park were
identified as the best alternatives for the youth. That will help them to keep their mind
busy, since drugs is the major problem affecting youth.

6. Table 1.
First option of Entertainment for Youth in Ceiba.
Health
The municipality of Ceiba doesn’t have health facilities except a few private medical
offices. An emergency room, a diagnostic and treatment center and a desintoxication and
rehabilitation center for drugs and alcohol users were identified as the primary health needs
of the community. A large proportion of participants know at least seven people who
suffered or have died due to a cancer condition in Ceiba. The area of health was perceived
as the biggest concern for the residents of Ceiba (Fuentes, 2005).
Table 2.
The most important Health issue in Ceiba
Safety
Residents feel that crime related to drug activities is the element contributing the most to
the high level of violence and criminality affecting the municipality.
First Option of Entertainment for Youth in Ceiba
Percentage of answers 98.4%
Movie 120 28.5%
Bowling Alley 75 17.8%
Virtual Library 84 20.0%
Skating Field 38 9.0%
Aquatic Park 95 22.6%
Other 9 2.1%
Total 421 100.0%
28.5%
17.8%
20.0%
9.0%
22.6%
2.1%
The most important Health issue in Ceiba
Private Hospital 103 24.6%
Emergency Room 199 47.6%
Center of Diagnostic and Treatment 75 17.9%
Center of Mental Health 13 3.1%
Centrer of Rehabilitation and y desintoxication for alcohol and drug users 13 3.1%
Center of Doctor’s Offices 11 2.6%
Other 4 1.0%
Total 418 100.0%
24.6%
47.6%
17.9%
3.1%
3.1%
2.6%
1.0%

7. Table 3.
Criminal or Violence incident affecting Ceiba the most.
Community Life, Education, and Labor
Residents expressed their desire to participate in religious activities (Christians). Regarding
cultural and artistic activities, participants preferred local festivals, patron saint festivals
and artisan craftsmanship activities. In the area of educational needs, Ceibeños wanted to
be trained in nutrition, health, human relations and the environment. For improving skills,
participants wanted to learn about craftsmanship, sewing, agriculture and food preparation.
This information is the key to establish partnerships and reuse of facilities for community
economic development.
Table 4.
First Preference Regarding Community Education.
According to your perception, What is the Criminal or violence
Incident that affect your community the most?
Assaults 103 24.7%
Law 54 (Domestic Violence) 34 8.2%
Murders 7 1.7%
Rapes 4 1.0%
Aggressions 23 5.5%
Drugs 220 52.8%
Others 26 6.2%
Total 417 100.0%
24.7%
8.2%
1.7%
1.0%
5.5%
52.8%
6.2%
Your first preference in terms of community education
Nutrition 114 27.5%
Preparation of cookbook and Food Safety 61 14.7%
Health 63 15.2%
Human Relations 82 19.8%
Housing 15 3.6%
Environment 19 4.6%
Consumer Education 6 1.4%
Clothes and Textiles 7 1.7%
Leadership Development 5 1.2%
Entrepreneurship Development 23 5.6%
Agriculture 14 3.4%
Other 5 1.2%
Total 414 100.0%
27.5%
14.7%
15.2%
19.8%
3.6%
4.6%
1.4%
1.7%
1.2%
5.6%
3.4%
1.2%

8. Roosevelt Roads
Regarding the most viable alternatives for developing the base, the residents proposed a
hospital and health services, educational facilities (school-university), and an amusement
park. Most of the participants expressed their willingness to participate in the decision
making process regarding the future use of the Roosevelt Roads base.
Table 5.
The most viable alternative for developing Roosevelt Roads Land.
Recommendations
Community groups actively participated in the elaboration of recommendations. Result
interpretation meetings were held with the stakeholder’s participation, along with the
evaluation specialist, who analyzed the data and presented the study’s findings, the local
extension home economist and the extension rural sociology specialist. Those meetings
were held in February 2005 at the local extension office at Ceiba. The residents of Ceiba
who worked in the study got a sense of ownership about the work they were helping to
accomplish, and the study’s final recommendations were oriented to empower the
community.
The need for more education is a key indicator that is present throughout different age
demographics. It is necessary to address the drug problem in the community. Training
programs involving youth and their parents should be held. Additionally, drug prevention
programs and help for drug users in coordination with the local police force must be carried
out. Recreational, educational, social, and cultural activities must be promoted, in addition
to the employment and self-employment. This will increase self-esteem and sense of
belonging among youth and adults, besides creating an alternative to drug use and other
activities considered illegal. Those measures will empower the community as a whole and
will create incentives for residents to stay in Ceiba, despite the devastating economic effect
The most viable alternative for developing Roosevelt Roads’s Land
Hospital and related health Services 207 50.5%
School/University 33 8.0%
Port 34 8.3%
Turistic Complex 25 6.1%
Commercial Center 24 5.9%
Low Cost Housing 24 5.9%
Wild Life Refuge 11 2.7%
Amusement Park 36 8.8%
Sport Facility 8 2.0%
Other 8 2.0%
Total 410 100.0%
50.5%
8.0%
8.3%
6.1%
5.9%
5.9%
2.7%
8.8%
2.0%
2.0%

9. generated by the closing of Roosevelt Roads. Courses such as crafts, sewing, agriculture,
business skills and food preparation could help residents develop their own businesses.
In order to explore economic alternatives following the closing of Roosevelt Roads,
different community groups must be unified, organized and trained to obtain the
capabilities and skills to develop tourism, environment, agriculture, manufacture and local
business to bring better opportunities and quality of life to their people. Community groups
must lobby with elected officials to help establish community projects based in study’s
findings. In the end, it will probably be the community’s ability to joint together and speak
together as a group that will help them obtain whatever it is they decide for the future.
Ceiba needs to develop micro businesses and cooperatives to motive them to change.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop workshops on the cooperative movement, community
organization skills, and leadership.
Religious groups and their leaders play an important role in communities such as Ceiba.
The mentioned groups should be integrated into the community’s efforts because of their
power to summon their followers. Proposal grants writing workshops should be held to
empower community groups, including faith-based organizations to manage their own
projects. Findings of this study offer a good rationale for getting external resources
funding. Currently, the federal government is allocating funds to assist faith-based
initiatives.
Joint efforts should be directed toward using Roosevelt Roads facilities to address the main
identified issues of the local residents: Health facilities (Hospital, Emergency Room,
Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Clinic for Cancer Detection and Treatment, and a
Desintoxication and Rehabilitation center for drugs and alcohol users), Educational
Institutions (School /University), Recreational Centers (Ice Skating field, Amusement
park), and Natural Resources Conservation. There is also a concern about a high incidence
of cancer in the community, which, although anecdotal at this point, should be explored by
health authorities.
In the area of human resource development, Island-wide human educational resources
should be sought to train residents in the following identified areas: nutrition, health,
human relations and the environment. The mentioned training courses could serve to
improve the well-being of the community. Findings of the study will facilitate the work
performed by extension agents at the local level since educational priorities and issues are
already identified. In the area of employment, crafts, sewing and agriculture are essentials
to develop business at the former base’s facilities.
So far, the study is accomplishing their goals. It received important coverage from the
national media in Puerto Rico. Also, the study and their findings brought some external
funding to the community already. Additionally, the study´s findings were discussed at the
municipal assembly and also at the state-wide legislature. There is still much to be done,
although at this critical moment, the community of Ceiba is moving in the right direction.

10. References
http://www.aprodec.net/presentation-DDEC/pages/pgDOI.htm. Downloaded on February
2005.
Boone, E. (1985). Developing Programs in Adult Education. Englewood Cliffs, New
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Huerta, J.M. and Hernández, J. (2005). Estudio de Necesidades de Ceiba. University of
Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Agricultural Extension Service
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path toward finding and movilizing community’s assets. Evanston, Il: Northwestern
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http://www.defenselink.mil/brac/definitions_brac2005.html
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Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Press Office, Available at:
http://www.uprm.edu/news/articles/as2005064.html
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11. Abstract: A need assessment study using participatory action research was conducted in a
small township in eastern Puerto Rico after the closing of one of the largest U.S naval
installations in the world. The effect on the economy was estimated in about $300 millions
loss per year. The challenge for Extension is to help empowering the community after that
devastating loss. The results will be used as a tool by the community and by public and
private institutions for allocating resources and how to create spaces to meet their interests
of improving health services, education, employment, and recreation for the youth.