The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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  • City of Enid employees disassembled the Enid Kiwanis Club carousel and placed it in storage until a new building can be built for one of the park’s children’s rides. (Photo provided)

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January 25, 2012

Meadowlake Park carousel getting a new home

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — When summer gets here, there will some changes at Meadowlake Park, including a new home for the carousel operated by Enid Kiwanis Club.

The carousel and horses are owned by the city of Enid and are an asset to the city, said Jim McClain, Public Works Department director. He said the carousel has been removed and stored, and the horses are stored in special climate-controlled areas. The building that housed the carousel has been torn down.

The concrete around the carousel and the Kiwanitrain building is being replaced, and a new ticket booth will be built for those attractions and two other rides in the area. The sidewalk will meet Americans With Disabilities Act standards, he said.

“We’ll also do some additional landscaping and spruce it up,” he said.

McClain said the old building protecting the carousel from the elements was deteriorating, and it was time to erect a new one.

The new building will be taller and configured differently, and will resemble a carousel of the 1940s period, McClain said. The building will be made of metal and more colorful, making it more visible from the street. He estimated it will be 60 feet in diameter and 18-20 feet tall.

“It will be colorful, and access will be easier and security will be about the same,” McClain said.

There will be cameras posted in the area to help prevent crime and protect city assets.

Estimated cost for the project is about $230,000 for the new building and sidewalks.

The Kiwanis Club has an ongoing program to pay for renovation of the 29 horses on the carousel. The carousel was portable, which made it easier to move.

At another park, city crews have drained and cleaned Government Springs lake. Workers are building 40 fish habitats, with cooperation from Oklahoma State University, that will be under water. The springs, which gave the park its name, also were cleaned out and are flowing more freely, McClain said.

“We’ve never had a habitat there, OSU is really excited about it,” he said.

Crews will complete repair work on the bridge over the lake and hope to open the lake again in about three weeks. When the project is completed, the city will restock the lake with a variety of fish species.

Government Springs is an estimated 8 feet deep, 700 feet long. McClain said the good weather this fall and early winter has enabled city crews to do a few more jobs than they did last year, when the area was covered with snow.

Meadowlake Park and Government Springs Park are the two largest parks in Enid. Government Springs is noted in history for becoming a cattle stop and a stop for travelers along the Chisholm Trail.

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