Limon, Caribbean port city of Costa Rica to be renovated, June 19th, 2009
President Oscar Arias signed a bill providing $80 million dollars to the Caribbean port town of Limón to begin a full-scale renovation project.
The $80 million investment that Arias signed last week has been
stretched over five main areas: restoration of cultural buildings, drainage and
sanitation improvements, and enhancement of municipal functions, small business
development and port modernization.
Divided among 17 different projects, the money is not intended to fund a
complete overhaul, but rather as a base to encourage complementary private
investment and to boost the goal of attracting nearly $900 million in
additional private investments.
The city is the first impression a visitor received when unloading from cruise
ships anchoring in Limón and this project will provided some facilities to incite
them to come back and visit the rest of the country.
A few project highlights include construction of a new road to the port
in order to redirect some of the large 18-wheelers that so often clog the main
road; rehabilitation of the old train yard and its conversion into a tourist
destination, complete with shops, restaurants and artifacts; and renovation of
Limon's Parque Cariari by the same group that created INBioparque in Heredia.
Costa Rica 
