Mom: Save the carousel

A local mom upset over the Irvine Co.’s plans to tear out a landmark carousel at Fashion Island is organizing a one-day boycott of the center at the height of the holiday shopping season.

Keree James, a mother of two, wants parents to head to South Coast Plaza on Dec. 3 to ride the carousel instead of visiting Fashion Island.

“Hopefully, this will show in one day what would happen if the carousel and other kid-friendly aspects of the shopping center are gone. The moms will go to South Coast Plaza,” James said.

James also has started an online petition to save the carousel. So far, 740 people have signed.

She feels a $100-million face lift underway at Fashion Island will make the shopping center less kid-friendly.

“This isn’t just about the carousel,” James said. “This is about our community and families living in the community. They’re taking all of the kid-friendly aspects out of the mall. This is about urging all moms not only to boycott Fashion Island, but to take their kids to South Coast Plaza to ride the carousel there.”

The Carousel Carnivale, as it’s known, has been at Fashion Island since 2003.

The Irvine Co. announced plans to remove the ride later this year as part of ongoing renovations at the 42-year-old shopping center. The two-year project includes adding Italian-inspired fountains and 150,000 square feet of additional retail space, as well as old-world-style streetlights and paving stones.

The carousel is being dismantled to make way for 4,000 square feet of extra retail space, additional seating and a new fountain in Pacific Court at Fashion Island.

Irvine Co. officials say renovation plans are already underway and that it’s likely too late to save the carousel.

“Whenever we hear from a dissatisfied customer, we try to rectify the situation,” said John Christensen, a spokesman for the Irvine Co. “Unfortunately, on this issue, our plans for the center are complete. There simply isn’t space for us to relocate the carousel.”

The Irvine Co. has yet to announce when it will remove the Fashion Island carousel. Unused tickets for the carousel will still be honored at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, which has a carousel, after the Fashion Island ride comes down.

James said no one from the Irvine Co. has tried to contact her about her efforts to save the carousel.

“We admire her passion on this issue and hope that at the very least, when all of the work is finished at Fashion Island, that her family will come to the center and enjoy all of the amenities,” Christensen said.