Call 2012 The Year of Ak-Chin.
The Ak-Chin Indian Community opened its doors to a revamped regional airport, about 10 miles southeast of the center of Maricopa, at 32514 W. Bud Rd., on Thursday morning.
It was the latest in a line of significant achievements for Ak-Chin in the past year.
On the heels of the Ak-Chin multipurpose justice center, hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to the F.O.R. food bank and Against Abuse in Maricopa, an agreement with Pinal County that will allow for a widening of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, an agreement with the City of Maricopa for mutual annexation and the opening of one of the largest entertainment complexes in the southwest, the airport provided a fitting punctuation to the end of the year.
The opening drew rave reviews from those in attendance, which included several members of the Maricopa City Council.
Phil Entz, the airport property manager, worked on getting the project to completion for about two years. Entz said he handled the day-to-day redevelopment of the airport along with Jeff Yazzie in the Ak-Chin projects department.
“The (Ak-Chin) board has taken it from [the initial feasibility study] to now, where it’s renovated and operational, and we’re looking at doing further expansions next year,” Entz said.
In its current phase, the Ak-Chin Regional Airport will be used the most by Desert Rat Aviation, a company just adjacent to the airport property that specializes in aircraft maintenance and restoration.
Entz said the property will also be used to lease tie-down spaces and for typical “hangar-based” operations, like airframe mechanics and upholstery shops. He said it will be a “full-service general aviation airport.”
“It is fantastic (to finally see the airport open),” he said, a large smile stretching across his face. “I can’t think of anything else to say.”
The presence of Maricopa council members Julia Gusse, Leon Potter, Peggy Chapados and mayor Christian Price showed the importance of the airport to not only the Ak-Chin community, but also the region and the City of Maricopa.
Potter and Chapados said the airport will be a great asset to economic development in the region. Potter also said getting an airport in the area is something former Maricopa mayor Kelly Anderson always favored.
“From what I heard, their focus is mainly commercial and industrial,” Chapados said. “I think anything that brings economic development and business and industry to this area is a good thing.”
The airport, like the UltraStar Ak-Chin Multi-tainment Center, will benefit Maricopa, and along with other dealings with the City, it shows the two sides have a strong working relationship.
“The Ak-Chin community, they have a lot happening, and so does Maricopa,” Potter said. “I think we seem to be [in sync] a lot of the time.”
Potter mentioned the annexation agreement as a huge plus for Maricopa and talked about “future partnerships” with Ak-Chin concerning economic development.
“I think it’s very positive,” Chapados said of the partnership. “It’s something that we work very hard to sustain, and so do they … It’s all for the good of Maricopa and the area.”
Ak-Chin bought the airport, formally known as the Phoenix Regional Airport, in 2006. The $1 million project encompassing the recently-completed renovations included resurfacing and re-striping work on the 5,000-foot runway, the addition of upgrading lighting and improvements to the main fixed base operations building.
For Ak-Chin, the upgrades to the airport are closely tied to the desire to grow the nearby Santa Cruz Commerce Center, with Entz saying industries such as clean agri-business and solar equipment producers would make ideal fits for the space.
Story and Photos: http://www.trivalleycentral.com
Ak-Chin Airport: Where Successful Business Takes Off
http://www.airnav.com/airport/41AZ
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