New Kingsland FM 2900 Bridge name recommendation would honor Enloes
Contributed
Family members and supporters celebrated recently at the nursing home bedside of Pat Enloe, the widow of David Enloe – both of which were pivotal organizers in years past of water-related festivities and a nationally-renowned ski team. Llano County Commissioner recently approved a resolution recommending naming the Farm-to-market 2900 Bridge, which is currently under construction, in honor of the Enloes. Pictured, from left, are: Darryl G. Miller Sr. Cindy A. Burnes Miller, Rhonda Burnes, Pat Enloe and her daughter Wendy Sue (Enloe) Smith.
By Phil Reynolds
Contributing Writer
That new bridge over the Llano River may get a new name if Kingsland community leaders have something to say about it.
At the behest of the Enloe family and their supporters, Llano County Commissioners have approved a resolution to name the span after a much-loved Kingsland couple known for sponsoring and coaching a water ski team back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to ask the Texas Legislature to instruct the Department of Transportation (TxDoT) to name the bridge after David and Pat Enloe. The resolution will make its way up the TxDoT chain of command to be finally acted on officially by the Transportation Commission, said Diann Hodges, a TxDoT spokesperson.
Hodges said it’s not unheard of to name a bridge after someone. She pointed to the Pennybacker Bridge on Loop 360 crossing Lake Austin. It’s named after Percy V. Pennybacker Jr., who designed bridges for what was then the Texas Highway Department, forerunner of TxDoT.
The Enloes became known for sponsoring the water ski team known as “Enloe’s Outlaws,” which famously opened Kingsland’s Aqua Boom water-related festivals for years. The group’s signature activity was five skiers, each carrying a large U.S. flag.
David and Pat Enloe not only coached the skiers, they provided equipment and storage for the team. It lasted until shortly after David Enloe suffered a stroke in 1991.
The resolution, sponsored by Precinct 3 Commissioner Mike Sandoval of Kingsland, cites the Enloes’ “positive contribution to the success of the Aqua Booms with dazzling skiing stunts such as their 7-person pyramid, mixed double t\routines, their Five American Flags and a water-skiing dog ...”
“By 1985 The Outlaws became famous around the State of Texas,” the resolution notes.
Commissioners urge the Texas Legislature to support naming the bridge after David and Pat Enloe and to direct TxDoT to attend to the matter.
This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Aqua Boom festival, scheduled for July 4 in Kingsland.
The original bridge – four years old when the Enloes moved to Kingsland – was washed away in October by historic flood waters on the Llano River. Its replacement, originally set to open in April under a TxDoT hurry-up construction schedule, will now open in May because of weather delays, the agency has said.
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