77-foot cross in legal limbo
KERRVILLE — A lawsuit has blocked, at least temporarily, the erection of a huge metal cross intended as the showpiece of an elaborate prayer garden proposed for a hillside here overlooking Interstate 10.
The suit by J. Frank and Michele Clark against The Coming King Foundation asserts that deed restrictions bar the non-profit religious group from putting the 77-foot-tall cross in their Mesa Vista subdivision.
“This is not a religious issue, it’s a property rights issue,†said the Clarks’ lawyer, Norman L. Nevins, noting the subdivision deed restrictions say lots are for residences, not commercial uses.
But defense attorney Barbara Cole said the subdivision plat drafted in 1972 for the 12-lot hilltop development wasn’t approved by county commissioners.
“Our position is that the restrictions are null and void,†she said.
Max Greiner Jr., a local sculptor, designed the cross and has spearheaded plans for the prayer garden, most of which will be located on 20 acres adjoining the subdivision at I-10 and Texas 16.
