Real Estate Photographer in Kerrville, TX

It's hot outside, and Kerrville residents are out of luck when it comes to poolside accommodations this summer.

Olympic Pool, the sole city-owned swimming facility, is closed for the 2025 season, and city leaders are scrambling to get their hands on an additional $750,000 to attract additional bids before next year, as department leaders attempt to double down with an aggressive construction schedule.

At a May 13 city council meeting, staff with the parks and recreation department recommended that leaders reject all the bids they had received through April 17 to start construction on the aging 50-year old pool, effectively starting from scratch and potentially setting back its reopening date beyond summer 2026.

Rosa Ledesma, the city's assistant Parks and Rec director, told council members that staff is now working with design contractors to revise the project's scope to focus on covering engineering costs and reopen the bidding process to entice more competitive offers when submissions reopen on May 28.

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"The Olympic Pool is one of the great amenities we have within our 100-acre Singing Wind Park, here in Kerrville," assistant city manager Michael Hornes told MySA.

The Olympic-sized pool has been the subject of renovation efforts in recent years, with city leaders including the Kerrville Olympic Pool Renovation and Expansion project in one form or another in the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and the 2022 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

"This project has been talked about for quite some time," Hornes said.

Renovation efforts became more focused in the fall of 2023, according to Hornes, when City Council and Kerrville's Economic Improvement District (EIC) teamed up on a bond project to fund $20 million into "quality of life" projects, including the renovations at Olympic Pool, infrastructure upgrades at the Peterson Medical Center Campus, a downtown trails area, the Scott Schreiner Golf Course and improvements at the Cailloux Theater.

The pool project was allocated $7 million of that bond, according to Hornes, but now, administrators on the project are asking the city for more money to clear key hurdles stalling construction. At last week's city council meeting, Hornes informed council members that the two bids they had received were well in excess of that estimated $7 million price tag.

"We had hoped that would be sufficient, based on our design, but the initial bids came in too high," he said. "At that point, staff, along with our architect, looked at areas that we could make changes without affecting the amenities or programming we are providing. We have put those amended plans back out to bid and are hopeful, not only for lower bids, but for additional bidders to the project."

Hornes and Parks and Rec staff are asking the EIC and the City Council to increase the project's budget by an additional $750,000 to help cover any potential increase.

The assistant city manager said the increase will be offset by savings in the other remaining bond projects.

"While we would always like to keep it open, each and every year, the schedule will not allow it," Hornes said. "Our plan is to be back open by the summer of 2026."

A popular Hill Country taco spot is slated to see some major changes near its Kerrville location, according to records with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Mary's Tacos began in the Boerne area before expanding into Helotes and Kerrville several years back. A filing with the TDLR shows that the family-owned and operated business is planning a $1.25 million new construction build located across the street from its current location (1616 Broadway, Kerrville, TX 78028) at 1515 Broadway, Kerrville, TX 78028.

The permit, submitted in June of 2024, shows that construction began in August of last year. While it is not clear how far along construction is at this time, the filing states that the new build is expected to open on October 1. Fillings with TDLR are subject to change.

MySA called locations in Boerne, Helotes and Kerrville, but the owner, Gil Villanueva, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Mary's Tacos in Kerrville has been in business for nearly 15 years, according to employees. The restaurant describes itself as a "low-key, counter-serve Mexican eatery" that offers a variety of tacos, including customer favorites, like the "Mach Sean," and other build-your-own options for breakfast and lunch.

The taco joint has long been a Boerne staple, drawing locals and out-of-town visitors for its affordability and quick service, according to online reviews.

The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 7 a.m. to noon on Sundays.

Find it: 1616 Broadway, Kerrville, TX 78028

KERRVILLE, Texas — From the Hill Country to the Gulf, the Guadalupe River flows through South Texas.

What You Need To Know

But right now, you can practically walk on water in the city of Kerrville. The Guadalupe is flowing at a rate of only 22 cubic feet per second.

“The same as it was in 2024, also [20]22,” City of Kerrville Public Works and Engineering Executive Director Stuart Barron said. “Our normal flow is right around 90 for this time of year. And so, we’re way off of what we should be.”

Barron says the river provides about 80-90% of Kerrville’s drinking water, and drought conditions aren’t helping the river flow.

“We’ve had three years in a row where we’ve had significant drought, and they’re compounding,” Barron said. “Every year, it’s not only are we not getting the rainfall that we’ll have, but it’s also going against what we haven’t had from the previous two years. So, the ground is getting dryer and dryer.”

Although Barron says there’s enough water to drink and bathe with, he says there isn’t enough water for irrigation and landscaping.

Barron says Stage 3 water restrictions are in place to ensure Kerrville residents get the water they need. But those wanting fresh landscaping should hold off until next year to help the community conserve water.

“We’re advising people it’s probably not a good year to replant their grass or replace any of their vegetation,” said Barron. “There’s not enough ground moisture to support those plants, unfortunately.”

With only a few spring showers so far, Barron says folks need to be proactive to keep the wildfire risk down. It could be another warm and dry season in the Hill Country if the drought continues.

“If we don’t get a rain this month or next, the summer looks pretty grim,” said Barron.

Academy + Sports and Outdoors could soon open a new store in Kerrville, Texas, marking a significant addition to the city's retail landscape.

City leaders unanimously authorized city manager Dalton Rice to negotiate a development agreement with Alpha Lake LTD to bring the national sport retailer to the city.

The planned location for the new store is in the River Hills Mall, located at 200 Sidney Baker St S # 27, Kerrville, TX 78028, which would provide residents with a comprehensive selection of sporting goods and outdoor equipment. Currently, Kerrville customers have to travel an hour to 11650 Bandera Road, San Antonio, TX 78250 to find the store's nearest locations.

According to assistant city manager Michael Hornes, negotiations are ongoing at this time, and the city hopes to have an agreement with the mall owners by May, which will hopefully be presented at the first council meeting of the month.

In 2018, the City of Kerrville commissioned a retail trade area gap/opportunity analysis from the Retail Coach, a company that partners with communities across the United States to bring new retail opportunities and economic growth.

That study outlined retail sector areas where residents are spending more for products than 'local businesses capture.'

In the sporting goods sector, the study showed that the city of Kerrville has roughly $18.7 million (data was collected over an unspecified period of time) in sporting goods leakage, meaning residents are spending their money outside of the city.

"We feel that Academy would be able to bridge that gap and address that particular need in our community," Hornes said.

Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify that the nearest Academy is in San Antonio