Astoria is interested in Jantzen Beach carousel, but so are other towns

After 11 years in storage, interest in housing the old Jantzen Beach carousel is beginning to build.

The Daily Astorian reports that the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and Astoria City Council are interested in providing a new home for the 1920s-era attraction. But Astoria may not be the only community trying to come up with a pitch.

The nonprofit Restore Oregon, which owns the carousel, has set a Sept. 15 deadline to find the ride a new Oregon home. Stephanie Brown with Restore Oregon said they have received several promising proposals, including a nibble from Astoria.

“But at this point we’re keeping locations confidential,” she said.

Brown is willing to say that all the organizations applying to house the carousel already own planned locations.

“Owned property is actually a big thing,” she said. “The carousel’s greatest need is a pavilion to house it. And you can’t build a pavilion unless you have property to build it on.”

Brown said a final decision will be based on property ownership and having just the right location.

“We would like the carousel to be in a location that has adequate foot traffic to support it. If we put it out in the middle of nowhere, no one could ride it,” she said.

Restore Oregon plans to donate the carousel. But a new pavilion could cost as much as $5 million. And the attraction needs another $4 million in renovation work.

If a suitable home can’t be found in Oregon by the mid-September deadline, Restore Oregon has said it will start considering offers from outside the state.