Ocean City Mayor Says City Is Exploring Ways To Save Wonderland Carousel

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said the city is exploring options to preserve the Wonderland carousel in Ocean City, including potential grants, cost estimates and an expert evaluation of the ride.

Gillian spoke about the carousel during a City Council meeting, saying the administration began looking into ways to keep the ride in town after his comments at the previous council meeting. He said the carousel is still owned by developer Eustace Mita and said, “I think we can all agree that the most important thing is that we save the carousel no matter where it lands.”

According to Gillian, the city is looking into possible grants through the New Jersey Historic Trust and Green Acres. He said officials are also seeking estimates to better understand what preservation might require and have contacted other municipalities that have handled similar projects, including Seaside.

“To do this, we need to be responsible,” Gillian said. “We were getting estimates to see what may be possible.”

Gillian said he also contacted the president of the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, who connected him with an expert on carousels. That expert, Gillian said, plans to come to Ocean City to evaluate the ride.

The mayor said he also spoke with the National Carousel Association. He said the city is trying to gather solid information before presenting options to council.

He added that council needs facts before making decisions and said public discussion should follow a fuller review of the carousel’s condition and possible costs.

Gillian compared the process to the city’s past effort to preserve the life saving station. He said the city had to gather facts, secure and match grants and complete the project properly in order to protect that historic site.

“Thank God we did because this historic treasure will be with us forever,” Gillian said of the life saving station.

Gillian said preserving the carousel has been emotional for him, but he did not want emotion to drive the city’s decision-making. He said he still has concerns about what work may be needed, but believes the review process is a start.