It doesn’t qualify as a ‘park,’ under the current zoning
By Kellen Olshefski
The City of Elkhorn Common Council is moving toward creating a separate zoning district for the Walworth County Fairgrounds.
City Administrator Jim Heilman said at the June 14 council meeting the property is currently zoned as a park district, which isn’t necessarily a good fit for the fairgrounds.
According to Heilman, it made sense to put together a zoning district that pertains specifically to what the fairgrounds does – especially considering it’s unique in that no other entity falls into the same category.
Heilman said the new zoning district would better represent the fairgrounds operations, because it is not a park, and allow the fairgrounds to apply for Class B and Class C beer and wine licenses for the grounds rather than temporary licenses. Under the proposed zoning ordinance, the sale and consumption of alcohol would not be allowed in any parking lot that is part of the fairgrounds zoning district.
Walworth County Fairgrounds Manager Larry Gaffey said the fairgrounds zoning is common around the country.
“It is a different kind of organization than a park,” Gaffey said.
As drafted, the ordinance would allow for events to end at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday events ending at midnight. Alderman Scott McClory said the later times on Friday and Saturday were a bit of a concern.
“We normally have not had anything go past 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights,” McClory said. “So that’s the only thing I have a little problem with. I think midnight is just a little too late for a Friday and Saturday night.”
McClory noted with that late of an end time, it would be well past midnight by the time everyone has left the fairgrounds. He also said the community is used to an 11 p.m. closing time and he would prefer to keep it that way.
The Walworth County Agricultural Society Board of Directors was set to review the new zoning district and ordinance followed by the council considering approval of the new zoning district at an upcoming meeting.
