THUNDER BAY – The Chippewa Park C.W. Parker Carousel enclosure could be in jeopardy, according to Cory Halvorsen, manager of parks and open spaces for the City of Thunder Bay.
Halvorsen told Newswatch on Friday that “one of the key funding components” needs to be secured before a major provincial grant expires.
Administration is set to ask council for an additional $234,868 from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund and $300,000 from the Municipal Accommodation Tax Reserve Fund.
“That was the gap that needed to be filled. Overall, the entire project is still over 50 per cent funded through external sources. So, it's good in that respect, but inflationary impacts for construction have definitely had an impact on this project since its inception,” Halvorsen said.
According to the council report, in November 2020, the previous council supported a funding commitment of $300,000 from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund and a $500,000 Heritage Canada funding application to construct the enclosure which Heritage Canada approved $450,000 towards the building.
The report also stated a provincial funding source of $800,000 was also approved.
However, the estimated cost of the enclosure has risen from $1.5 million to $2.2 million including a 20 per cent contingency. The city needs to secure all project funding by Nov. 30 or the $800,000 provincial grant will expire.
The enclosure, once built, will be linked to the Chippewa Park pavilion into a climate control extension of the building.
“It's a combination of more of a traditional building but also unique in that it has to enclose the carousel. The shape of it is similar to the canopy of the current ride. It will be a nice addition to the pavilion directly adjacent. So, the location of the carousel would move slightly from where it is now, but it's still very close,” Halvorsen said.
At the moment, there are no plans to operate the carousel year-round with the ride being in an enclosed space, but Halvorsen noted that the enclosure provides an opportunity for the city to look at operational changes in the future.
Right now, securing all the funding to build the enclosure is the top priority.
With the amount of time and effort it took to restore the C.W. Parker Carousel located at Chippewa Park, a newly constructed enclosure for the carousel would provide added protection to the 100-year-old amusement park ride.
Halvorsen said, “having that project to occur and done so successfully was really unique. It's highly relevant to the recommendation that we have going forward now to invest in a building and closure to protect that work and avoid having to do another full restoration like that in the future.”
If the recommendation is passed, Halvorsen wants to put the tender for the enclosure out as soon as possible so construction can begin in 2025.
