Could the Carbon County Fair have an additional 47 acres of land to operate its popular annual fair on?

Representatives of the Carbon County Lion/Lioness Fair Association certainly hope so, and plan to broach the subject to the Lower Towamensing Township Zoning Hearing Board.A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, at which time the organization plans to discuss its intention to use about 47 acres of a 700-acre tract of land located at 2645 Little Gap Road for a fairgrounds and recreational complex.The portion of the property affected by the request is situated in an R-1, Residential Low Density, zoning district. A section of the township zoning ordinance doesn't list either a fairgrounds or recreational complex as a permitted use in the R-1 zoning district.Further, interpretations, a special exception, and/or variances are requested from various sections of the zoning ordinance which requires action by the zoners.In Sept., the Carbon County Fair board purchased 717.49 acres of property in the township for $45,900 through the Carbon County Unpaid Tax Sale. The property had been abandoned by Horsehead Corporation, and was up for sale because of non payment of taxes since 2006.Bob Silliman, president of the fair, previously said the land would be developed into a new fairground. He said it would likely take at least two years before the fair would be able to move onto the new property. A portion of the new tract is currently used as a youth recreation area, a relationship Silliman said the fair intends to continue with the organization.Silliman previously said that a portion of funds raised each year had been put into a land fund. The event has been held at the CC fairgrounds for the past dozen years.The fairgrounds is located on 44 acres of property along Little Gap Road. Of that, Blue Mountain Ski owns about 30 acres, while the other 14 acres are used for the parking area, which is owned by a private individual.