by ANDY SEVILLA
Upon entering Kyle’s City Hall you can quickly find yourself in front of a pretty basic room located in the corner on the first floor, right next to the council chamber.
As basic as that side room may seem, housing only a few tables and chairs corralled in by neutral colored walls and a brown carpet, it represents decades of service.
The “Minerva Falcon Community Room,” named after a city secretary who worked in different posts for the city over a 32-year span, took that name in 2007 after council members presented a proclamation to recognize her “significant public service career and her considerable contributions to the betterment of Kyle.”
In keeping with that tradition of recognition, council members last week deliberated criteria in an effort to set guidelines in how to go about naming city infrastructure after individuals and organizations.
Council members decided not to let city infrastructure bear the name of religious institutions as it could lead to “sticky” situations, but corporations or individuals who pay the right amount of money can have buildings erected in their honor.
Council members decided that if a person, organization or corporation pays for at least 51 percent of a building’s construction cost, that city building could then be named after them.
Naming rights could also be awarded if at least 51 percent of a building’s maintenance is covered through an endowment or if the land the building is constructed on is donated.
Council members also accorded to name city infrastructure after individuals who have significantly contributed to and impacted the Kyle community.
Residents interested in having city infrastructure named will have the opportunity to submit an application to the city, which will then be forwarded to the appropriate municipal board or commission for recommendation to council.
Among the city features the could bear someone’s name are parks, buildings, streets, lakes, rooms, benches, fountains, tables, trees, furniture, and windows, amidst a litany of other city-owned infrastructure.
The discussion on naming rights was birthed through Council Member David Wilson’s Dec. 18 recommendation to name the Kyle Historic City Hall after Adell Hurst.
Wilson beseeched the building’s name change to the Adell Hurst Senior Citizens Center, in an effort to memorialize her contributions to the senior citizen community and to the preservation of the city’s history and heritage, according to the council’s agenda.
Ultimately, that recommendation was tabled until council adopts rules specific to the naming of city infrastructure.
Council members are expected to finalize adoption of the rules for naming rights through a city council resolution.
