By Megan Wehring
KYLE ‒ City council approved a resolution on Sept. 1 to rename the swimming pool located in Gregg-Clarke Park to James Adkins Public Swimming Pool.
Former Mayor James Adkins served as the first Black mayor in the city of Kyle from 1998 to 2005. Council member Robert Rizo originally brought forth the idea at the city council meeting on Aug. 18.
“I first met Mayor Adkins on the basketball court,” Rizo said. “I was out playing basketball with my sons at Gregg-Clarke Park, he drove up with his grandsons and started playing basketball. It was the first time I met the mayor.”
Council member Alex Villalobos said a city swimming pool should involve younger generations to create lifelong memories.
“Both of my children learned to swim at that pool, not to mention represented the city of Kyle through their swim team,” Villalobos said. “It puts a lot of pride in young kids when the city council recognizes them. It develops a lot of self-confidence, discipline and those are all critical things for all of us to learn from.”
Rizo also said that renaming the pool is one of the beginning steps to honor previous leaders and citizens who make up the history of Kyle.
“As we look at our history in Kyle, I can’t help but see that we could do a little more to honor those minority leaders that have been there before us that have paved the way for future generations,” Rizo said.
