Chavis Park Carousel Renovation and Park Improvements

Little & Little Landscape Architects - Prime Consultant
HagerSmith Design - Architect
Crenshaw Consulting Engineers - PME Engineering
Lysaght & Associates - Structural Engineering
Ballentine Associates - Civil Engineering
Carousels & Carvings - Carousel Restoration and Expertise
Durwood Center - Band Organ Restoration
Old Parr - Carousel Horse Restoration
The Resolute Building Company - General Contractor
Management Learning Laboratories - Survey Design

Citizen Advisory Council (CAC) Districts: Central, South Central

The park entrance and parking lot off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard are open for patron use. Please note the new traffic pattern, which is illuminated by traffic signage.

Pedestrian directional signs appear throughout Chavis Park to help patrons maneuver around the construction site and between park amenities. Parking will continue to be available in the northern parking lot by the playground, pool, and historic carousel house and in the small lot by the community center.

Construction is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2012.

Construction Phase

The Raleigh City Council authorized preparation of the Design Development phase to address proposed improvements to the Chavis Park carousel and carousel house.

During the conceptual development of design for the new carousel house, the design team presented regular updates to the Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board, the Raleigh Arts Commission, the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, and the Raleigh City Council. Updates were presented to the Central and South Central CACs as well. Members of the Carousel Task Force, the Chavis Park Master Plan Committees, and the public were invited to attend these meetings.

Additional public forums were provided to gather citizen input. A formal Public Presentation was provided in March 2006 to review and collect comments on the preliminary design drawings for the Chavis Park Carousel Renovation and Park Improvements. Additional presentations were made to the South Park East Raleigh Neighborhood Association and to City Council in 2009.

Design of the carousel house has been completed. The Chavis carousel house will be located just up the hill from the plaza next to the Chavis Park pool, differing slightly from the Park's Master Plan. This more visible location will enhance access and improve connection with the Community Center, its rental space, and restrooms.

The adopted Chavis Park Master Plan and the Carousel Task Force Report provide the background and guiding principles for the Design Development process. Summary information, including an extensive background presentation from the March 2006 Open House, is provided on the right.

The City Council granted approval for a study of the Chavis Community Park service area in December 2009. The purpose of this scientific, randomly distributed study is to gain broad community input on Chavis Park including recreational programs and facilities and the possible re-use of the existing carousel house. Management Learning Laboratories of Winston-Salem was chosen to create, conduct, and evaluate the study. In November 2010 small focus group meetings were held with community groups. The feedback gathered, during the one hour focus group sessions, provided guidance to the consultant in the creation of the survey questions. In early 2011, the survey was distributed to 4,500 randomly selected households within a 2-mile service radius of Chavis Park.

A public open house was held in March 2011 to share the architectural design and site plans for the new carousel building with the community. The public comments received from the open house were shared with the Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board (PRGAB) during a project update at its April 2011 meeting. Over the course of 2011 the construction drawings were completed and in late November the project went out to bid.

The Chavis Carousel House bid was opened on December 20, 2011 with The RESOLUTE Building Company of Chapel Hill the lowest bidder. The Bid Award for $1,832,300 was granted to RESOLUTE by City Council at its January 17, 2012 meeting.

Construction of the Carousel House will occur in two phases. During the first phase of construction the park entrance and parking lot located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd will be closed for installation of a new water line; to connect the Martin Luther King Jr Blvd parking lot to the small Chavis Way parking lot; and to rebuild the front stairs leading up to the Community Center. The first phase of construction is complete. The second phase is expected to begin in May with completion in late fall. The second phase encompasses the construction of the new carousel house building.

The Chavis Carousel House construction project includes a new carousel building and the associated site work (grading and paving for building pad, driveway and parking modifications, new water line, and new area lights around the new building), renovation of the Community Center entry stairs, and restoration of the Allan Herschell Carousel and Wurlitzer 146A Band Organ.

The Parks Division renovated the walkway and ramp on the east side of the Community Center to make it meet ADA guidelines.

The potential re-use of the existing carousel building and additional amenities, based upon community input gained during the survey and the following community conversation process, will be addressed over the course of 2012.

Scientific Study Designed: Fall 2010
Scientific Study conducted, data analyzed: Fall 2010 -Spring 2011
Scientific Study mailed to community: March 2011
Funding for a public planning process: Fiscal Year 2010-2011
Carousel Building Public Open House: March 2011
Bid Announcement: November 21, 2011
Bid Opening: December 20, 2011
Contract Awarded: January 17, 2012 City Council Meeting to The RESOLUTE Building Company
Groundbreaking Ceremony: February 18, 2012
Notice to Proceed: March 26, 2012
Phase 1 Construction: March 26 - May 8
Early Voting: April 27 - May 5, 2012
NC Primary: May 8, 2012
Phase 2 Construction: May 9 through Late Fall 2012
Project Completion: Late Fall 2012

City Council approved the $1,832,300 contract for the construction of the Chavis Carousel House at its January 17, 2012 meeting. Funding, in addition to the 2003 Parks and Recreation Bond Referendum of $975,000, comes from remaining funds in the Pullen Park Improvements and unsatisfied park search area reserve project accounts.