Whoa! Historic Ross Park Carousel May Not Run Again Until 2026

The long-running saga of the effort to restore the carousel at Ross Park in Binghamton is far from over.

The 59 "jumping horses" and two chariots were removed from the century-old merry-go-round in the park on the city's South Side in the fall of 2022.

The colorful components of the carousel were transported to a restoration company.

Mayor Jared Kraham said every step of the project must be reviewed by the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Agency representatives review design work, bid documents and site plans for the carousel restoration work.

The mayor told WNBF News he hopes the city can seek bids on building a new structure for the carousel next year. If that happens, the carousel could return to service the following year.

Planning for the restoration began in 2010 when Matthew Ryan was mayor. The city had originally planned to use some federal funds for the needed work.

In 2015, Binghamton was awarded $500,000 in state economic development funds to refurbish the carousel horses and build a new enclosure for the facility.

Although WRF Designs of Connecticut has started the process of restoring the horses and other parts of the carousel, it's not known how much of the work has been completed. The company did not return a call seeking information on Tuesday.

The restored carousel will be located about 250 feet away from its previous site in Ross Park. It will be reassembled at a higher, more accessible location at the park.

VIDEO: A two-minute stroll around the now-empty carousel enclosure at Ross Park in Binghamton.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.