By Megan Wehring
Kyle City Council made the first steps to rename the swimming pool at Gregg-Clarke Park in memory of former Mayor James Adkins.
Adkins served as the first black mayor in the city of Kyle from 1998 to 2005. He was known for his commitment to serving the community. Council member Robert Rizo brought forth the idea to rename the swimming pool in memory of Adkins, who died on Jan. 3, 2016.
“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.”
Rizo said he is appreciative that there is a swimming pool in the city of Kyle for community members, despite the long process.
“When I was a kid growing up in Kyle, they had promised us a swimming pool,” Rizo said. “My father actually donated money towards it and it never happened. Mayor Adkins had the vision and resolved to get the swimming pool built for our community.”
Council member Michael Tobias said one of his favorite memories of Adkins was at the swimming pool surrounded by the community.
“Just seeing the smile on his face,” Tobias said. “People coming up to him, saying hello to him and shaking his hand. Really seeing the joys of his hard work of getting something for the community and for the kids in the area.”
While the Gregg-Clarke Park will keep its name, council member Tracy Scheel said they are grateful that the family provided the property even though the swimming pool will have a new name.
“This is in no way negative to them,” Scheel said. “This is a way to honor one of our mayors, but we do appreciate the donation of the land for the park. We are keeping the name of the park itself.”
Council member Alex Villlobos said changing the name of the swimming pool will showcase the diverse culture of the city of Kyle.
“Throughout the city, you look at the diversity here,” Villalobos said. “You look at it as a quilt. It’s the ties that bind all the different changes and all the different things that bring Kyle together.”
There was not a proposed ordinance attached to the agenda item at the Aug. 18 meeting. An official name change, along with the logistics, will be decided at an upcoming meeting of the Kyle City Council.
