Tribal leaders say they hope to bring commercial and cargo traffic to a small airport on their reservation outside Phoenix. Memorial Airport was developed by the Army Air Corps during World War II but now belongs to about 2,000 Gila community members. Four tenants use worn-out facilities for general aviation and private planes, but the tribe committed $250,000 in start-up money to get it going again. ‘We have a lot of enthusiasm to get it working,” said Cecil Antone, president of the Gila River Indian Community’s Airport Authority Board. It likely will be several years before the facility is put into commercial service. The two biggest challenges: Renewing leases on the property and gaining enhancement funds from the Federal Aviation Administration. The lease on the land has only 26 years left. ‘The banks won’t loan money with just a 20-year lease. You need 40- to 60-year leases so you can amortize the cost,” said Dean Weatherly, economic development director for the tribe. If the landowners agree to lengthen the leases, the tribe will apply for enhancement funds from the FAA to resurface and light the runway. ‘The runway’s pretty beat up,” Antone said. Situated near Chandler’s high-tech business district, it should be attractive for cargo shipments, Antone said.
