Hispanic Chamber Gala doles out awards, welcomes Col. Rosales home
By Kyle Mooty
LPR Editor
U.S. Army Col. Andrea Rosales, a military intelligence officer, graduated – as did her husband, Jason – from Lockhart High School in 1998. She has lived at various locations since leaving LHS but hopes to one day return to the town she credits for instilling the values that matter most to her.
Rosales was the Keynote Speaker at Saturday’s 36th annual Gala Celebration of the Greater Caldwell County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GCCHCC), held at Magnolia Ranch & Co.
“Caldwell County and Lockhart have changed so much since I last lived here in 1998,” Rosales said. “But it’s something that you feel, something that you know. I look forward to the day my children can run the halls of Lockhart High School like my parents and grandparents had.”
GCCHCC handed out the following awards:
Special Presentation to the family of Linda Barron
Business Woman of the Year: Alondra Cruz
Business Man of the Year: Kevin Mills
New Business of the Year: Farmers Insurance (Agent Jennifer Ochoa)
Small Business of the Year: The Lounge Sports Bar (Owner/Operator Ricky Rodriguez)
Fermin T. Islas Service Award: O’Dell Bishop and the Lockhart High School Audio/Visual Class
Corporate Business of the Year: Brown Distributing Co.
Orgullo Award: Sergeo Rodriguez, Director of the Lockhart High School Color Guard
There was also a State of the City address by Lockhart Mayor Lew White, and a State of Lockhart ISD by Superintendent Mark Estrada.
Rosales was deployed four times in support of Iraqi Freedom. She has served in units at Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Camp HM Smith, Hawaii, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Meade, Maryland. She has earned two graduate degrees while serving: a Master’s of Science and Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington D.C., and a Master’s of Arts and National Security Strategy from National War College from the School of National Defense University.
Rosales and Jason met while in high school, working at H-E-B. She was promoted to the rank of Colonel at a December 2022 ceremony on the grounds of the Caldwell County Courthouse.
Jason retired as a sergeant first class (SFC) in 2018 from the Army after serving for 20 years. The couple has two sons. On the side, Rosales coaches a cross country team and is a religious education teacher.
Among the things Rosales said she learned from both Lockhart and the military included, “My hands were never too good for a broom, and it’s always the right time to do the right thing.”
Before the award were handed out, a special presentation was given to the family of Linda Barron. Emcee Alfonso Sifuentes, Director at Large for the GCCHCC, noted the Gala was dedicated in Barron, who passed away on Jan. 22.
Several family members of the late of Linda Barron were presented a plaque in her honor. Barron worked with several organizations.
The Businesswoman of the Year was Alondra Cruz. She owns Magnolia Ranch & Co. (106 Old Lockhart Road) but could not attended the event. Her son, Martin Cruz, accepted on her behalf. It was noted that Alondra Cruz had made many contributions to GCCHCC.
Mills accepted the Businessman of the Year award. He obtained his C.P.A. license in 2001. In 2008, he became full-time interests in his C.P.A. business at 800 State Park Road.
The New Business of the Year was Farmers Insurance (2000 W. San Antonio St.). It was said that Agent Ochoa’s commitment to the GCCHCC goes well beyond her business duties.
Lounge Sports Bar’s Rodriguez accepted the Small Business of the Year. The business is at 211 E. Market Street in Lockhart.
The Fermin T Islas Service Award was accepted by Bishop, but he invited several Lockhart High School students to joining him on stage at the Gala. Bishop and his class have a radio show on Saturday mornings (10 a.m. to noon) called Lions Radio on KLKT. They also recently livestreamed much of the Caldwell County Junior livestock Show.
Chris Castillo accepted the award for Corporate Business of the Year, which went to Brown Distributing Company. It was founded in 1962 and today has 380 trucks with 400 employees.
Lockhart High School Color Guard Director Sergeo Rodriguez. There are 190 students signed up for Color Guard at LISD. The LHS Color Guard has made it all the way to state on three occasions (2022, 2023, and 2024).
His Lockhart Junior High Color Guard has been undefeated since it began.
Superintendent Estrada praised Rodriguez’s work, noting the Lions’ Color Guard will compete against the nation’s best this year at Orlando, Florida (March 22-23).
“The next milestone will be competing at world championships,” Estrada said. “There are no limits to what they can achieve. (Rodriguez) is shaping our future leaders.”
Prior to Mayor White’s State of the City, Sifuentes said “Lockhart used to be called a town; it’s technically a city now.”
“Lockhart’s future is designed by safety, diversity, and prosperity,” said White, who is in his 14th year as Mayor. “We have a vibrant downtown. We try to grow our city and maintain our history.
I keep hearing things like, ‘Why do we want to grow? Why can’t we keep our town the same size?’ Well, growth brings people with new ideas and talents, new contributions to our community. It brings new competition and increases our tax base.
“You can’t stop growth. But you can plan for it.”
White noted such plans included water and sewer, a Parks Master Plan, and a City Master Plan.
The 2020 Census had Lockhart with a population of 14,460. It is now projected population to be more than 17,000.
“We just turned on the spicket to our next water source,” White said. “We have almost doubled our water capacity. With our 10-year plan, we are already looking at other water sources. We’re not going to run out of water. What we’ll run into is we may have problem approving new developments that use a lot of water.”
The Lockhart has the ability to meet projected peak water demands until 2037.
White also said traffic issues were being addressed, as well as feasibility studies performed.
White praised the work of both City Manager Steve Lewis and Economic Development Coordinator Holly Malish.
“We were able to attract McCoy’s Building Supply, their 87th store,” White said. “We’ve improved some matters to attract some more popular restaurants, such as Chick-fil-A.
Holiday Inn Express will hopefully begin construction later this year on a 90-room hotel with meeting space.”
White also noted the need for affordable housing, citing three major projects on the books, including two subdivisions which will have 2,000 homes each.
“These are all 10-year buildouts,” White said. “It’s just our time.”
A new swimming pool is in the works. The two-phase project will first have a family-style pool, with phase II including a competition pool for LISD.
There will soon be new signs in Lockhart, some welcoming people who enter town. There will be others – wayfinding signs – which will give directions and distances to things such as the library, state park, high school, etc.
White said he “appreciated everyone’s patience” regarding the current construction with the Downtown Revitalization project, which he said could be ready by early 2026.
The addition of Austin Community College to Lockhart as well as Emergency Services District #5 were also welcomed additions, White said.
As for possible future additions, White said there could be 24-hour emergency room care staffed with doctors and nurses, and H-E-B had taken the first step on expanding by purchasing 27 acres at the SH 130 and SH 142 intersection.
Superintendent Estrada said Lockhart Junior High was currently at 1,500 students, and is projected to have more than1,800 in the next couple of years.
“We know it takes time to build, so if (the planned bond) doesn’t pass, that pushes it back another year,” Estrada said.
Lockhart is hoping the bond will pass so it can build a new middle school. He reiterated there would be no new tax rate if the bond passes.
“School districts across the state are struggling,” Estrada said. “We are being responsible with the funds you trust us with. That doesn’t mean we still don’t need your help. We are still receiving the same amount of funding as we did in 2019, even though transportation costs have risen, utilities have risen, the cost of everything has risen.
“We look forward to our future. We want our kids to graduate from high school and participate in the economy.”
Cinco de Mayo 5K/10K Coordinator Jimmy Silva said the run, which had a record 436 registered last year, is expected to once again set a new mark at this year’s event, Saturday, May 3.
“There are a lot of moving parts behind a well-oiled machine,” Silva said. “This year will be the 50th annual run. There are between 40 and 50 volunteers. They have taken time off from their busy schedules. The Lockhart Fire Department and Lockhart Police Department help handing out water and directing traffic.”
There was $14,500 in scholarships awarded after last year’s run.
