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As last Navy base in Puerto Rico nears close, neighbors worry about impact.
Byline: Nancy San Martin
ROOSEVELT ROADS NAVAL STATION, Puerto Rico _ Pennsylvania native Michelle Hoffman came and opened her Splash tattoo parlor near here in 1995 after noticing that the community surrounding this U.S. Navy base did not have one of the sailors' ages-old activities.
"In every port there is a tattoo shop. When I found out they didn't have one here, I jumped on it," said Hoffman, 37, whose shop in Ceiba brought in up to $60,000 a year. "It was great for a long time. We were busy all the time."
But now her profits have dropped by about half as the 60-year-old base, known popularly as Rosie Roads, winds down and heads toward its official closure March 31 _ a move that will mean the loss of about 2,500 civilian jobs and $300 million in Puerto Rico. …
