City auction pulls in $94,000

The city of Jamestown raked in close to $94,000 from an auction of accumulated equipment last week — well more than officials anticipated.

“This was the first year we felt we had enough to try and hire somebody to try and sell everything,” said Reed Schwartzkopf, city engineer.

Schnabel Auction Company of Kulm, N.D., handled the July 28 auction that saw between 150 and 200 people over the course of the three-hour affair at the Civic Center.

Three items brought in nearly two-thirds of total: a Dodge Magnum, a Chevy HHR and a front-end loader from the city baler.

The Magnum, a five-door station wagon with a powerful engine, became city property after years of trying to find its rightful owner. It sold for $23,000.

A January 2007 fire caused the death of the vehicle’s owner. The Jamestown Police Department then tried to track down the man’s estranged wife, who refused the vehicle.

“There were several years and repeated attempts to try and return the Dodge to the estate,” Schwartzkopf said.

The Chevy HHR, a retro-styled station wagon, was used as a vehicle for city inspectors. It sold for $10,500.

“It’s not a bad little car for over-the-road-type driving,” Schwartzkopf said.

The front-end loader was the big-ticket item at the auction and fetched $25,000. It went up for auction because the annual repair costs would be more than the purchasing of a new one.

Front-end loaders at the city baler typically get between 1,500 to 1,800 hours of use per year, which Schawrtzkopf said was a heavy load.

The other two items to round out the top five include a Ford one-ton truck that sold for $4,600 and a liquid waste tank from the baler that sold for $2,000.

Several other items sold for about $1,900.

Other items sold included pumps, riding lawn mowers, chairs and 48 bicycles.

“Believe it or not, all of the bicycles were sold,” Schwartzkopf said.

The bikes were recovered by law enforcement and never claimed by their owners.

Schwartzkopf expected between $50,000 and $60,000 to be raised from the event. The grand total came out to be $93,829. The money raised will likely go to the city’s general fund.

It was the first city auction since the late 1990s.

“Frankly, 94 grand has tickled me plumb to death,” he said.

Sun reporter Ben Rodgers can be reached at 701-952-8455

or by email at brodgers@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, auction