The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce was recently recognized as an organization that inspires hope and creates a brighter future in San Luis Obispo County.

The Community Spirit Award was presented to the SLO Chamber by United Way of San Luis Obispo County at its Annual Recognition Event on June 17.

“We are very proud to have such great, diverse partnerships and appreciate what these individuals, businesses and their employees have contributed this past year to improving the quality of life in San Luis Obispo County by working with United Way,” said Charlene Rosales, United Way COO. United Way also honored several other local businesses and individuals at the event for their contributions to the community.

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce was also recognized for holding an ongoing workplace giving program and participating in community service activities.

City Clerk Elaina Cano told the e-Insider today that the local initiative to block the extension of Prado Road has gathered the necessary signatures to qualify for the November ballot and will now go to the San Luis Obispo City Council to be certified.

The council has the choice of either certifying the initiative (which puts it on the ballot) or complying with the demands of the initiative by choosing its alternate alignment (considered highly unlikely).

A point/counterpoint on this subject at tomorrow morning’s Good Morning San Luis Obispo will feature Mila Vujovich-La Barre — an initiative proponent — squaring off with Mayor Dave Romero.

Tomorrow’s program begins at 7:30 a.m., and though online registration has closed, some seats may be available on a first-come-first-served basis at 7:30 a.m. Each seat is $21 for members and $25 for non-members, which includes breakfast and the program.

Knowledgeable sources report that former business owner and 20-year-resident Kathy Smith will be running for SLO City Council.

Smith previously served on the council from 1994 to 1998. She’s credited with proposing that the city add economic development and natural resource managers to city staff, positions that still exist today.

Her campaign will be headed up by retired Cal Poly professor Richard Kransdorf and business owner Wilda Rosene.

A major mixed-use project at Monterey Street and Johnson Avenue (for years the site of Hessler’s Unocal) will be breaking ground early next month.

The four-story project will have 4,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor, 5,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and five 1,100- to 1,400-square-feet loft-style condominium residences on the third and fourth floors.

LEED certification will be sought. Architect George Garcia is the architect/developer.

Insiders reported this morning that SLO Mayor Dave Romero has made a final decision not to run for city council in November.

Romero, 81, will be termed out after serving eight years as mayor; previously, he served for eight years on the council and 36 years as director of Public Works.

Romero has been a great friend of local business and a consistent supporter of the SLO Chamber’s vision of a beautiful, safe community with a growing base of head-of-household jobs.

Romero’s 54 years of serving the city and his depth of knowledge are unparalleled.

An emotional Mayor Dave Romero made the motion last night to approve staff’s plan to begin a significant downtown beautification program.

Romero, along with the SLO Chamber, had been pushing this for years and had made it the focal point of his last campaign.

The council unanimously allocated $640,000 to improve three blocks on Higuera Street from Morro to Broad streets with new sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, trees, news racks and trash receptacles along with some major maintenance improvements.

These upgrades are essential if SLO is to remain competitive as a shopping and tourism destination.

April’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) numbers are up a solid eight percent compared to April 2009.

This is the second major gain in a row, and puts the year-to-date figure higher than the city’s projections.

TOT is considered a key barometer of the local tourism industry and is the city’s second largest source of income after sales tax.

Cal Poly generates $469 million in regional spending and a total of $29.6 million in tax revenue, according to the latest economic impact report from the California State University Chancellor's Office.

Other findings in the report: Cal Poly is responsible for the creation of more than 5,000 jobs, and Mustang alumni earn a total of $2.4 billion.

The $469 million in regional spending means that Cal Poly contributes more than 10 percent to the region’s $3.5 billion economy.