Carbon County officials are looking to see if purchasing one of its district magistrate's office buildings is the right move.

On Thursday, the county commissioners voted to approve a proposal by Person Agency of Lehighton for the appraisal of a property at 417 E. Ridge St., Lansford, at an estimated fee of $550. The property currently houses District Judge Casimir Kosciolek's offices.Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, chairman, said that the owner of the building, who the county had been renting from, passed away and his niece now wants to sell it."The county has interest in it," he said, adding that if the county is forced to move from the building it would create an even bigger expense than buying it. Costs would include finding a new building to rent, renovating, and moving all of the office and court materials to the new location."We think it's in the best interest to purchase the building and keep the magistrate there," Nothstein said, noting that the final decision is hinged on the appraisal and if the county and the new owner could come to an agreement.In other matters, Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said that the firing range outside the prison is moving along nicely.Bob Stempa Excavating is scheduled to come in this weekend to remove the tree stumps and start excavating the land. Once that is complete, the backstop will be created for the range.Marlyn Kissner, executive director of the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development, also publically thanked the commissioners for the hotel tax grant money that was awarded to the organization.The money will be used to promote the county through various advertisements and through the Internet.