Plow attachments were among the items for sale in Luzerne County’s auction of unused vehicles and equipment on Friday.
Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader
Luzerne County received $42,880 selling unused vehicles and equipment at a live auction Friday on Camryn Way near the Fort Soccer Club fields and county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport, said county Controller Walter Griffith.
Everything up for grabs sold, said county Engineer William McIntosh, who oversees buildings and grounds.
The items: 30 vehicles, two small plows and various pieces of equipment, including a trailer, two backhoes and two sweeper attachments.
In addition to generating revenue, the county will save approximately $16,200 in insurance costs for the vehicles it sold, McIntosh said.
The county’s operational services division worked with the purchasing, sheriff’s and controller’s offices to hold the auction, McIntosh said.
Sheriff Lieutenant Ryan Foy presided over the bidding while county Controller Walter Griffith kept track of each sale on a chart.
At one point, the group of bidders followed Foy to a Dodge Dakota. Hoping to secure the maximum amount, he pointed out it has a “beautiful stainless steel spreader in the back.”
Bidding for that truck started at $500, and competition boosted the final sale to $2,000.
Crews powered up a road and bridge dump truck with a plow and salt spreader before announcing its $2,000 starting bid. It ended up selling for $5,200.
One man bought two street sweeping attachments for $300 each and said he would use them for parts.
A trailer sold for $250.
Efforts to jumpstart a 2006 Chevrolet Impala were unsuccessful, but that did not deter auto dealer Marvin Carey, who owns Marvin Carey Auto Sales in Wilkes-Barre.
It had 111,000 miles, but the Carey pointed out the body, engine and interior were in good condition overall. Bidding began at $750, and Carey won with a high bid of $1,250.
Carey said he will repair the vehicle — it passed inspection last fall, according to the windshield sticker — and put it on his lot for resale.
The auction started at 10 a.m., and viewing of items was permitted from 8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
The county’s last public auction was smaller and held in 2020, when six vehicles and two trailers were sold for $13,255.
All purchases had to be paid in full by cash or check at the time of Friday’s auction.
Everything was sold in as-is condition, and the county was not responsible for assisting bidders with starting, repairing, troubleshooting or verifying the condition of any equipment or vehicles. No mechanical or safety inspections had been performed.
Purchased items must be removed from the property before May 15 to avoid towing and storage costs at the new owner’s expense, officials said.
Griffith said he helped McIntosh set up the payment tent as dozens of bidders arrived.
The auction also was a positive for bidders — all county residents — because they obtained the vehicles and equipment at a very affordable price, Griffith said.
“The county needs to do more of these auctions for computers and other unused items so people can benefit by purchasing used equipment at a reasonable price and in turn provide much needed revenue to the county general fund,” Griffith said.