Park icon
to return
Staff writer
The first step in restoring the 1926 Mitchell Whirl merry-go-round in Central Park has started.
Marion City Council last week agreed to purchase of parts for $2,475 to repair the playground equipment.
Once parts arrive, it should take a few months for repairs, City Administrator Brian Wells said.
The parts have not been ordered yet, but that will be soon.
The company, that built the merry-go-round, no longer makes them, but Wells is hoping to receive original plans from the company to assist the city.
“If we need plans, we could reach out to them,” he said.
The center pole of the Whirl merry-go-round broke off and needs to be welded.
Instead of tipping over, after the pole broke it settled onto the ground after wobbling a bit, Wells said.
“There were no warning signs,” he said. “It just happened.”
The top of the merry-go-round is in good condition. Concrete has to be poured to create a base, and that must be done before the weather gets cold to cure, he said.
Completion could take one to two months and the merry-go-round should be in operation Thanksgiving Day.
After the pole broke city workers removed the equipment in early September.
Grass around the broken down merry-go-round was getting high, and the playground equipment looked like rubbish, Wells said.
The city will hire a welder, he said, noting that a couple of people in the area who can do the work.
This is not the first time the merry-go-around had repairs.
When the merry-ground returns to the park, Wells wants people riding it to do so properly, by sitting, not standing.
Wells understands the Whirl merry-go-round is something the community has used for nearly 100 years, and no one wants to see the end of it.
“It’s been in use for a long time,” he said.