MANSFIELD — Sharon Bishop has learned repairing a 31-year-old downtown landmark is a slow and arduous process.
The Richland Carrousel Park director said December water damage affected nearly every area of the Richland Carrousel building except the carousel and figures themselves.
“The carousel is suspended, so we had a few inches of water that got in the pit area, but luckily, the carousel itself is fine,” Bishop said. “We did have to replace a motor and some gears.”
A sprinkler line break in the Carrousel’s kitchen ceiling flooded the kitchen with three to four feet of water that spread to the rest of the building.
The water also damaged furnaces, electrical conduits, carpet and products in the gift shop.
Bishop has supervised the repair projects since December and said she is confident the Carrousel will re-open in May.
“Even if we’re only partially ready, we’re going to reopen,” she said. “We’ll probably start with a soft launch and have our grand re-opening scheduled for May 20 and 21.”
While Bishop said there’s “a light at the end of the tunnel now,” there are multiple repairs still on the reopening checklist.
So far, the Carrousel has replaced some of its vent system, water heater, furnace, ceiling and walls. Two skylight leaks required redoing some wall work, but Bishop said the remaining work should be able to withstand bad weather.
She thanked the Carrousel Properties crew, Carl Fernyak and John Luedy for all their help from the beginning of the damage.
More than $10,000 in donations from businesses and community members has helped the Carrousel continue paying the repair crews while it works out insurance claims.
“Our bills are still coming in too, and we have to keep the heat up high since they’re still drying everything out,” Bishop said. “Anybody that has ever dealt with insurance knows they don’t cover everything.
“We had to have a special maintenance person come out to look at the carousel to make sure everything works, and insurance didn’t cover that because the water didn’t touch the carousel, but it was still in moisture and we needed to get it checked out.”
Bishop said she’s not sure what total costs of the repairs will be, but an insurance adjuster told her it will likely be around $400,000 including out-of-pocket costs.
Appleseed Building Company and other contractors are working on drywall, wallpaper and electrical work. Bishop said a new shop counter donated by Thompson Marble & Granite should be installed in the coming weeks.
She said she hasn’t been able to count how much money area businesses have donated to the repair efforts.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who has helped us, even kids donated $5 that they would have spent on tickets,” she said.
The Carrousel is still accepting donations online via PayPal or by mail to 75 N. Main Street Mansfield, 44902.
Bishop said Carrousel staff are taking the fresh start as an opportunity to bring back activities that they haven’t hosted since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to bring back our Ladies’ Night with appetizers, and coffee and wine,” she said. “We have vendors in here too.”
Party and event bookings can also be made for after May 21. To book a party or event, email info@richlandcarrousel.com.
For the May 20 and 21 grand opening, Bishop said the Carrousel plans to offer free rides to thank the community for its support.
Residents can stay updated on the Carrousel repair progress by following their Facebook page.
