Congratulations to LPT Board Member Commissioner Tommy Calvert on his National Award!
Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert will be awarded two of the National Association of Counties (NACO) Achievement Awards in Colorado for the July National Convention.
The National Achievement Awards were earned for Commissioner Calvert’s work with the Camelot County Trash program and the Greenies Urban Farm. Calvert passed legislation in the Texas Legislature that gave Bexar County the ability to create a solid waste program. Commissioner Calvert’s program made crime decrease by 53 percent, calls for stray animals decreased by 75 percent, and calls for illegal dumping decreased by 74 percent, saving taxpayers millions in the County’s highest crime area. The day after Commissioner Calvert was elected he returned to begin work on the needs of the high crime, low income area, and earning the recognition of fellow county officials for improving the quality of life for residents is the highest honor for a county official in the United States. (See a video chronicling Calvert’s Work in the Camelot Neighborhood: https://youtu.be/VPqHPkcFbcQ)
Camelot II has had illegal dumping issues since the late 1990s. With no mandated trash collection for the neighborhoods, Commissioner Calvert had to get the entire Texas House, Texas Senate, and the Governor to agree to give him and the County new powers for dealing with trash and illegal dumping. After the powers were granted Commissioner Calvert has grown the initial pilot program to the Glenn, Crownwood, and Candlewood subdivisions.
“I would often say to CPS and SAWS that the results we received for lowering crime, animal services, and illegal dumping were a national model. Now the National Association of Counties has said they agree,” explained Commissioner Tommy Calvert.
During the pandemic Commissioner Calvert, expedited 2 million dollars of federal funds to ensure Bexar County residents did not have supply chains of food cut off. His leadership led to 25,000 lbs of super greens and fruits given to residents struggling to pay for groceries—putting Calvert ahead of his time for the growing inflation worries at the top of polls for voters in America.
With the University Health System and CareLink, Calvert created the “Food is Medicine” initiative for some of the neediest CareLink customers where they provided nutritional information on the benefits of foods that customers were given for free. The program also included healthy recipes for the food. Commissioner Calvert had to fight Commissioner Kevin Wolff who said the program was not needed. With long lines wrapped around the Alamodome for food distributions and thousands of citizens struggling to pay for groceries, the Greenies Urban Farm will receive a national award from the National Association of Counties in Adams County, a suburb of Denver.
The Greenies also was honored at Texas A&M in College Station for the top state award for “Superior Service” of emerging issues from the Agricultural Extension Service of the state of Texas. The Greenies
is under construction and $14 million in additional funding will allow the 10 acres plot of land to house nearly 25 employees from the Bexar County Agricultural Extension Service and bring in revenue to Bexar County through the 300-person event center being constructed along Menger Creek in a once blighted eyesore known as “The Goonies.” Commissioner Calvert has renamed the property “The Greenies.” The Greenies has worked with over 200 nonprofits and supplies the San Antonio Food Bank with fresh produce grown and harvested in partnership with the San Antonio Master Gardeners for people countywide.
See video of the opening ceremony: https://youtu.be/Qy_TxGT3-GA
See video of the first harvest Ceremony: https://youtu.be/120QT3s6BG4
