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Sikeston set to auction off surplus property in October
SIKESTON - The city's surplus might be your treasure.
The city of Sikeston is holding an auction Oct. 8 at the Public Works Complex, 316 North West St. Auctions of this type are held every few years to liquidate surplus equipment accumulated by the city as it replaces old equipment as well as the accumulation of unclaimed property recovered by the Department of Public Safety.
"The last auction was in 2003," said Steve Lee, street superintendent. "It's always in the fall of the year."
Gates will open at 9 a.m. for viewing and bid registration. "The auction will start at 10 a.m.," Lee said. "Clay Hunter is going to be the auctioneer. He did the last one the city had."
The length of the auction depends on how long bidding goes for each of the listings, but the city's surplus auctions "usually last somewhere around three or four hours," Lee said.
"I think it's going to be a good auction - I encourage people to come out," Lee said. "Someone from any walk of life can come in and find something of interest to them."
Bidders at the city's auctions often include area farmers, private contractors and representatives from other municipalities.
"I think our salt spreaders that we use for snow removal could be very useful to some people," Lee said. "The grader would be a good deal if someone wanted to put just a little into one."
The Department of Public Works has "all but eliminated the need for a grader," according to Lee. "Anything we need to do now we can do with a box blade."
He explained the city has paved its old cinder and gravel roads. "I think there's one (unpaved) road left - about a half a block is all that's left and we're going to work that into next year's street program if possible," Lee said.
While the city's alleys are still gravel, "You can't get a grader down an alley," he said. "A tractor with a box blade - that's the way we've got to grade those."
The city also is selling its 1985 Ford 350 bucket truck. "We've used it less and less thanks to the BMU's cooperation with the city. They've helped us out in that area," Lee said. "They have a much larger truck than what we're selling, so we've really had to use it less and less."
The city also has no further use for its six-row sprayer. "They used to use it to spray (vacant) lots. They would drive over a lot and spray Roundup," Lee said. "We're saving tax dollars by mowing and, as far as appearance, they look a lot better mowed than brown."
Bidders at city auctions have included individuals from the area looking for a bargain among the bicycles and other items DPS confiscates.
"People can get really good deals on the bicycles," Lee said. "A person can get a good deal at these auctions." The list includes 140 bicycles.
A complete list of offerings will be published in the Standard Democrat about a week before the auction.
Other items likely to appear on the list include: 25-foot boom mower; various computers, monitors, components and peripherals; crack sealer; pavement cutter; power brush/blower; five chainsaws; miscellaneous chainsaw and weedeater parts; two 100-pound LP tanks; various metal concrete forms; handicap pool steps; assorted ball field lights; two seed spreaders; hydraulic press; tire balancer; tire changer; steam cleaner; water heater and gas furnace; commercial chest-type ice box; 8-foot box blade; table grinder; miscellaneous fencing; miscellaneous electrical; miscellaneous scaffolding; an electric scooter (not working); one box of flexible duct work; four upright vacuum cleaners; one Elicar 55mm lens for old-style 35mm camera; 35mm Sears KS auto camera with 52mm lens; extended flash for 35mm camera; cordless phone with caller ID.
"The list may change a little bit after we get together and evaluate the equipment," Lee said. "Maybe there are some things we may decide to keep or other items we may decide to add to the list."