On a recent Saturday, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader undertook a full day of project inaugurations spanning multiple municipalities in Santo Domingo province, unveiling six government-led public initiatives targeted at advancing education, environmental infrastructure, community sports, and accessible housing for thousands of local families.
The first stop on the president’s itinerary was Los Alcarrizos, where he opened the municipality’s new solid waste transfer station. Built with a total investment of 49 million Dominican pesos, the facility forms a key part of the national Zero Waste Program, designed to streamline the region’s waste collection and disposal processes. Los Alcarrizos Mayor Junior Santos noted that the new infrastructure will triple the operational output of local garbage collection fleets, cutting down on route times and lowering long-term service costs for the municipality. Santos also highlighted that the current Abinader administration has delivered a wave of transformative public projects to the area, including the new cable car system, an extension of Santo Domingo Metro Line 2C, new educational facilities, affordable housing developments, formal property titling programs, and the renovation of Vinicio Calventi Hospital.
Still in Los Alcarrizos’ Hato Nuevo district, Abinader officially opened the first phase of construction for the Ercilia Pepín High School. The expansion adds 26 fully equipped new classrooms to the campus, boosting the school’s capacity to serve 960 additional students. The updated campus includes modern administrative offices, dedicated science and computer laboratories, an on-site nurse’s station, a commercial kitchen, and a public civic plaza, among other amenities. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Dominican Minister of Education Luis Miguel De Camps framed each new classroom as an investment in the country’s long-term future, reaffirming the national government’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to high-quality public education across the country.
Abinader also marked the completion of two additional education-focused projects in Los Alcarrizos: a covered sports facility and new early education classrooms at Félix Lope de Vega Primary School. The upgrades expand both instructional and athletic space, supporting the holistic development of the school’s student body. The centerpiece of the project is a new multipurpose hall that will provide a weather-protected, safe space for sports, cultural events, and community recreational activities. The Ministry of Education confirmed that all ongoing school upgrade projects are on track to be completed ahead of the new academic year, which is scheduled to begin on August 24.
Continuing his focus on community public infrastructure, the president inaugurated the fully renovated Dante Lemoniel Sports Club, also in Los Alcarrizos. The rehabilitation project included resurfacing the main playing field, repairing spectator stands, and upgrading the facility’s multipurpose community space. Minister of Sports Kelvin Cruz stated that infrastructure investments like this one will mark a turning point for national public sports infrastructure across the Dominican Republic. Local community leaders added that the updated space will not only expand access to recreational activities for residents but also support local crime prevention efforts by providing a positive gathering space that encourages peaceful community coexistence.
Moving to Boca Chica municipality, Abinader presided over the official handover of the Nuevas Esperanzas (New Hopes) Residential Complex, an affordable housing development that delivers 112 new apartments to low-income local families. Minister of Housing and Construction Víctor “Ito” Bisonó reported that this delivery brings the total number of government-funded affordable apartments completed under the current administration to 890, which has already benefited more than 2,600 Dominican residents. Bisonó reiterated the government’s target to deliver 4,000 new affordable housing units before the end of the calendar year, noting that more than 58% of the completed units are registered to women homeowners.
The day of inaugurations concluded in Sabana Perdida’s Los Cerros sector, with the opening of the new Minerva Mirabal Elementary School. The purpose-built facility will serve more than 900 K-12 students with modern instructional space. The campus features 27 classrooms, a full public library, a student cafeteria, commercial kitchen, on-site nurse’s office, outdoor sports field, dedicated recreational areas, and administrative offices. Minister of Education De Camps emphasized that the new school is part of the government’s broader push to ensure all educational facilities meet modern safety and accessibility standards ahead of the August 24 start of the academic year, giving all Dominican children and teenagers a suitable environment to pursue their education.
Taken together, the six projects mark a significant expansion of public services and infrastructure across Santo Domingo province, with the government projecting that thousands of local families will see direct improvements to their daily quality of life as a result of the investments.