OXNARD : Council Decides Not to Buy Carousel
The Oxnard City Council decided Tuesday not to buy an $895,000 carousel but instructed staff to seek a private party to purchase the merry-go-round on the city’s behalf.
The city’s Redevelopment Agency had recommended purchasing a 1911 Charles Carmel carousel and locating it near Heritage Square, a soon-to-be-opened cluster of turn-of-the-century homes.
Redevelopment Director Steve Kinney said the Willmore City Heritage Assn. had offered the carousel, first used in Coney Island, N. Y., in 1911, for sale to the city.
Councilwoman Dorothy Maron said she could not justify the carousel’s purchase in a year in which the council had to shut down the city aquatics program, the South Oxnard Community Center and some public restrooms because of budget cuts.
“We can’t purchase a carousel when the people aren’t being served,” she said.
However, the council instructed Kinney to continue negotiating with the carousel owners and to seek private investors to finance its purchase.
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