Business View Magazine May 2023

245 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 5 deteriorating infrastructure,” he continues, “But we plan to try to address some of those things over the long term. We have just completed our master plan that outlines our needs for the next 20 years. It indicated the need for better pavement on the ramp, as well as a lack of hangar space. So again, with the work of our partners with the FAA and the Colorado Department of Transportation, we’re identifying a plan moving forward to rectify some of these long-standing deficiencies of our airfield.” The first step is rehabilitation, a mill, and an overlay of the primary runway. This will hopefully take place over the summer season, allowing the longer runway to be operational by fall. They have also created and shelved a shovel-ready plan to completely rehabilitate the terminal based on capacity. It will have a new interior as well as exterior façade, allow for greater accessibility, and create a restroom past the TSA checkpoint, where there currently are none. In 2020 the Colorado Department of PUEBLO MEMORIAL AI RPORT Transportation performed an airport economic impact study. That study identified that Pueblo Memorial Airport accounts for over $100 million in business revenues “So that’s just people that work around or near the airport or utilize the airport for business,” says Pedroza, “and then you factor in the visitor spending that comes through the airport, that we help facilitate and you are looking at over $10 million in tourist dollars as well. The city recognizes the asset that this airport is and has been very generous and understanding in terms of supporting our growth and development.” Most businesses surrounding the airport are not aviation related but there is a business park environment that has grown up. The airport provides a security check and works closely with the tenants to try and help them grow together. A major industrial neighbor is MxV Rail, the world’s leading train research and testing facility. Together with MxV, the airport has begun tentative investigations into creating a more multimodal environment. There is also some talk of a light rail transit system to Denver,