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Friends of Holyoke Merry‑Go‑Round ask CPA for $31,960 to restore four horses
Summary
The Friends of the Holyoke Merry‑Go‑Round requested $31,960 to restore four carousel horses at approximately $7,390 per horse, plus transport, underscoring the site's cultural value and volunteer-driven maintenance model.
Sue Leary, speaking for the Friends of the Holyoke Merry‑Go‑Round, presented the group’s FY26 CPA request to restore four hand‑carved carousel horses. Leary said the carousel (built 1927–1929 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company) is listed on the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places and functions as a regional cultural attraction inside Holyoke Heritage State Park.
Leary outlined the restoration process and the estimated cost: $7,390 per horse for full restoration plus transport fees, bringing the four‑horse total requested to $31,960. She described the multi-step conservation workflow—paint removal, structural repair, hand‑painting with traditional materials and a curing phase—and said restoration reduces long‑term damage and preserves the horses as community assets.
Committee members asked for photos of specific candidate horses and for an estimate of how many horses remain to be fully restored; Leary said roughly eight to ten horses still require full restoration and offered to provide photos of the four horses she would prioritize. Members discussed logistics and truck rental assumptions; Leary said museums typically transport two horses at a time and volunteer assistance sometimes lowers transport costs.
The CPA did not vote on funding that night. The request will be considered as part of the FY26 award cycle.
