 City-Toyota Green Clean-Up Project workers paint a fence on Sept. 26 at Normoyle Park. Photo by Jennifer Herrera
Contributing Writer Toyota factory workers were beginning their third hour of working at Normoyle Park during a hot afternoon Sept. 19. It marked the end of the first week of City-Toyota Green Clean-Up, a project initiated by city leaders and Toyota officials aimed to “help beautify San Antonio.” “This is truly a park that’s an integral part of the community,” Ana Ramirez, an administrative assistant to District 5 Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan, said. “This is the hub of this community.” Toyota factory workers were busy slapping on fresh paint on curbs, repainting hopscotch lines, benches, fences and more. On Sept. 18, it was announced that Toyota team members and their on-site suppliers would put their efforts into beautifying area parks in each of the 10 council districts. Toyota’s on-site suppliers that are volunteering their time include: Avanzar Interior Technologies, Futaba Industrial Texas Corp., MetoKote Corp., Millennium Steel of Texas, Reyes Automotive Group, Toyota Logistics Services and Vutex Inc. Stafford Bloom, an assistant manager at the South Side Toyota plant, said they had “an endless list of projects” presented to them by the city. “We determined which parks needed the most assistance,” Bloom said. The project at Normoyle brought in 140 volunteers. During the two-week project, Toyota and its on-site suppliers volunteered 17,120 hours, an estimated value of more than $273,235 to the city. “(Normoyle is) one of the few parks that has everything,” Ramirez said. Located at 700 Culberson Drive on the West Side, Normoyle has a soccer field, two softball fields, a baseball field, a community center, a skate park, basketball and tennis courts, an outdoor pool and a playscape area. Ramirez added that the park needed attention and that the City-Toyota Green Clean-Up Project was a true “godsend” for the community. West Side resident and Toyota team member Donte La Fond was born and raised in San Antonio. He said he occasionally visits Normoyle Park whenever his children have a soccer match at the park. As he applied a fresh coat of beige paint to a bench on Sept. 19, he was pleased with the five days of volunteer work he participated in as part of the Clean-Up project. “I think it’s wonderful,” La Fond said. Nearby, Toyota assembly line worker Bera Moreno painted a light post and was also excited about seeing the improvements her and the rest of the Toyota team have made in the five parks they’ve worked on so far. “It’s something different we’re doing,” Moreno said. “The community has given us (Toyota) a big welcome, it feels good to give back and show our appreciation.” Toyota also cleaned up parks in city districts one through five. “I think for us the value is giving back to the community,” Toyota spokesman Mike De La Garza said. “They’re (Toyota employees) enjoying the opportunity to learn more about the city. |
