diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 94e8375816b..d937d8edad1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 - PR #941 Regression python/cudf fix
 - PR #945 Simplified benchmark --no-rmm-reinit option, updated default options
 - PR #946 Install meta packages for dependencies
+- PR #953 fix setting RAFT_DIR from the RAFT_PATH env var
 - PR #954 Update cuGraph error handling to use RAFT
 
 ## Bug Fixes
@@ -98,6 +99,7 @@
 - PR #923 Updated pagerank with @afender 's temp fix for double-free crash
 - PR #928 Fix scikit learn test install to work with libgcc-ng 7.3
 - PR 935 Merge
+- PR #956 Use new gpuCI image in local build script
 
 # cuGraph 0.13.0 (31 Mar 2020)
 
diff --git a/ci/local/build.sh b/ci/local/build.sh
index c6f7f1a51e2..ef198c719eb 100755
--- a/ci/local/build.sh
+++ b/ci/local/build.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-DOCKER_IMAGE="gpuci/rapidsai-base:cuda10.0-ubuntu16.04-gcc5-py3.6"
+DOCKER_IMAGE="gpuci/rapidsai:cuda10.0-ubuntu16.04-gcc5-py3.6"
 REPO_PATH=${PWD}
 RAPIDS_DIR_IN_CONTAINER="/rapids"
 CPP_BUILD_DIR="cpp/build"
@@ -139,4 +139,4 @@ docker run --rm -it ${GPU_OPTS} \
        -v "$PASSWD_FILE":/etc/passwd:ro \
        -v "$GROUP_FILE":/etc/group:ro \
        --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE \
-       "${DOCKER_IMAGE}" bash -c "${COMMAND}"
\ No newline at end of file
+       "${DOCKER_IMAGE}" bash -c "${COMMAND}"
diff --git a/cpp/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
index 4d0b03c76fd..2f284c97712 100644
--- a/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ endif(NOT NCCL_PATH)
 if(DEFINED ENV{RAFT_PATH})
   message(STATUS "RAFT_PATH environment variable detected.")
   message(STATUS "RAFT_DIR set to $ENV{RAFT_PATH}")
-  set(RAFT_DIR ENV{RAFT_PATH})
+  set(RAFT_DIR "$ENV{RAFT_PATH}")
 
   ExternalProject_Add(raft
     DOWNLOAD_COMMAND  ""
diff --git a/python/setuputils.py b/python/setuputils.py
index a7e663125d3..f2de886255d 100644
--- a/python/setuputils.py
+++ b/python/setuputils.py
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 import sys
 import warnings
 
+from pathlib import Path
+
 
 def get_environment_option(name):
     ENV_VARIABLE = os.environ.get(name, False)
@@ -73,6 +75,8 @@ def use_raft_package(raft_path, cpp_build_path,
     """
     Function to use the python code in RAFT in package.raft
 
+    - If RAFT symlink already exists, don't change anything. Use setup.py clean
+        if you want to change RAFT location.
     - Uses RAFT located in $RAFT_PATH if $RAFT_PATH exists.
     - Otherwise it will look for RAFT in the libcugraph build folder,
         located either in the default location ../cpp/build or in
@@ -86,38 +90,55 @@ def use_raft_package(raft_path, cpp_build_path,
          Path to the C++ include folder of RAFT
     """
 
-    if not raft_path:
+    if os.path.islink('cugraph/raft'):
+        raft_path = os.path.realpath('cugraph/raft')
+        # walk up two dirs from `python/raft`
+        raft_path = os.path.join(raft_path, '..', '..')
+        print("-- Using existing RAFT folder")
+    elif isinstance(raft_path, (str, os.PathLike)):
+        print('-- Using RAFT_PATH argument')
+    elif os.environ.get('RAFT_PATH', False) is not False:
+        raft_path = str(os.environ['RAFT_PATH'])
+        print('-- Using RAFT_PATH environment variable')
+    else:
         raft_path, raft_cloned = \
             clone_repo_if_needed('raft', cpp_build_path,
                                  git_info_file=git_info_file)
+        raft_path = os.path.join('../', raft_path)
 
-    else:
-        print("-- Using RAFT_PATH variable, RAFT found at " +
-              str(os.environ['RAFT_PATH']))
-        raft_path = os.environ['RAFT_PATH']
+    raft_path = os.path.realpath(raft_path)
+    print('-- RAFT found at: ' + str(raft_path))
 
     try:
-        os.symlink('../' + raft_path + 'python/raft', 'cugraph/raft')
+        os.symlink(
+            os.path.join(raft_path, 'python/raft'),
+            os.path.join('cugraph/raft')
+        )
     except FileExistsError:
-        os.remove('cugraph/raft')
-        os.symlink('../' + raft_path + 'python/raft', 'cugraph/raft')
+        os.remove(os.path.join('cugraph/raft'))
+        os.symlink(
+            os.path.join(raft_path, 'python/raft'),
+            os.path.join('cugraph/raft')
+        )
 
-    return raft_path + 'cpp/include'
+    return os.path.join(raft_path, 'cpp/include')
 
 
-def clone_repo_if_needed(name, cpp_build_path,
-                         git_info_file='../cpp/cmake/Dependencies.cmake'):
-    if cpp_build_path:
-        cpp_build_path = '../' + cpp_build_path
-    else:
-        cpp_build_path = '../cpp/build/'
+def clone_repo_if_needed(name, cpp_build_path=None,
+                         git_info_file=None):
+    if git_info_file is None:
+        git_info_file = _get_repo_path() + '/cpp/CMakeLists.txt'
+
+    if cpp_build_path is None or cpp_build_path is False:
+        cpp_build_path = _get_repo_path() + '/cpp/build/'
 
     repo_cloned = get_submodule_dependency(name,
                                            cpp_build_path=cpp_build_path,
                                            git_info_file=git_info_file)
 
     if repo_cloned:
-        repo_path = '_external_repositories/' + name + '/'
+        repo_path = (
+            _get_repo_path() + '/python/_external_repositories/' + name + '/')
     else:
         repo_path = os.path.join(cpp_build_path, name + '/src/' + name + '/')
 
@@ -257,3 +278,8 @@ def get_repo_cmake_info(names, file_path):
         results[name] = res
 
     return results
+
+
+def _get_repo_path():
+    python_dir = Path(__file__).resolve()
+    return str(python_dir.parent.parent.absolute())