An Austin man was arrested in connection with Carpenter Hill Elementary being damaged in August of 2018, which caused up to $300,000 in damages, including the destruction of an antique carousel colt in the library. The school and the colt have since been restored.
It took more than two years, but the carousel colt that used to stand near the entrance to the lobby at Carpenter Hill Elementary School is back in its rightful place.
The antique colt was severely damaged when vandals struck the school in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, 2018. “Significant” damage was done, particularly in common areas of the school. There was no indication any classrooms were entered.
The colt, technically a “half and half” since it was made partially out of metal and partially out of wood, was first thought to be irreparable. However, BELFOR Property Restoration of Waco stepped up to oversee the project of putting it all back together.
The refurbished colt was unveiled to students on Friday, Feb. 14.
“The district is grateful for the compassion and care that went into restoring the antique carousel colt,” said Tim Savoy, spokesman for the Hays CISD. Carpenter Hill’s mascot is the colt. “Out of all the items that were destroyed in the vandalism, one that hit home for many people was the antique horse in the library.”
Savoy thanked those who donated to the project, the artist who restored it and the “leadership of BELFOR Property Restoration.”
Actual restoration was done by Lourinda Bray of Running Horse Studio in Pasadena, California. Brass for the project was supplied by Mike Mendenhall of Carousel Memories in Los Gatos, California. Local donors include Lowe’s Home Improvement of Kyle, which supplied components for the standing base; Glen Davey and family of Davey Plumbing of Buda who supplied pipe, Sherwin Williams Paint of Kyle, which supplied paint.
The colt’s base was built by Jeff and Laura Daly of Mockingbird Made Furniture of Buda and the stand and horse were assembled by Roland Garza of Mountain City.
