San Luis Obispo Daybreak

   California, USA

 
Three local Rotary Clubs and Rotaract Club of San Luis Obispo worked together with local businesses, families and individuals to complete a viewing platform for the public to enjoy at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.  Located between the Spirit of San Luis restaurant and the terminal, the platform provides an inviting area to view runway activity as well as serving as a stage for interactive educational opportunities in aviation for County youth.
 
Well over $100,000 in donations and hundreds of hours of volunteer work were donated by local Rotary clubs and members of the community to complete the project.  The platform boasts a new retaining wall and railings, new landscaping and a Rotary Club emblem to decorate the site.  
 
Souza Construction acted as general contractor on the project, contributing a majority of their labor and materials at discounted or no cost.  For his Eagle Scout certification project local Boy Scout from Troop 6, Michael Ronay, designed a speaker system for the platform that broadcasts radio transmissions between the control tower and airplanes as they land, taxi and take off.  Alpha Electrical Service, a San Luis Obispo based electrical contractor, worked with him to build the system.   
 
“It was remarkable to see the level of generous support that came together for this project,” said Dave Juhnke, President of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.  “We look forward to watching the community enjoy the viewing platform for generations to come.”
 
The four clubs celebrated with a ribbon cutting on April 27 and shortly after, six new benches were installed for visitors to the airport.
 
The many members of the community who donated time and resources to the effort include: Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo, Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak, Rotaract Club of San Luis Obispo, Souza Construction, Wallace Group, Air Vol Block, CalPortland, Chevron, Covelop Inc., Earth Systems, Specialty Construction, Bunyon Brothers Tree service, Ron Jordan Concrete Pumping, San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, Spirit of San Luis Restaurant, United Rentals, Michael Ronay, Alpha Electrical Service, Jesse Wallace, Lance Wierschem, Farm Supply, Coast Electronics, Atascadero Elks, St. Francis Landscaping, Phillips 66, C&R Tile and Quaglino Roofing.
 
Our greatest thanks to our club's project point person, Pat Arnold.