By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Are you in the market for 1990 Chevrolet Lumina?

How about a fertilizer spreader with a 3-point hitch? Or maybe you just need a mosquito trap.

If any of these things are on your early wish list, you can place your bids at the City of Gardendale’s auction on Oct. 30. The auction will start at 9 a.m. and will be held at the old Anderson Boats Building at 2619 Decatur Highway.

The city’s department heads have been turning over a number of items for the auction, including computer equipment, small appliances and vehicles.

Gardendale Parks and Recreation Superintendent Stan Hogeland said the process is similar to what most families experience at home.

The city purchased the old Anderson Boats building in 2006 and turned it into a spacious storage facility. However, Hogeland said space is starting to run out.

“Over the years you start accumulating stuff and things also wear out,” he said. “Then, you’ve got to do one of two things. … Build more storage or get rid of something.”

Hogeland said the majority of the items to be auctioned are functional. New items, including furniture taken out of three FEMA trailers the city purchased two years ago, will also be up for grabs.

The city’s last auction was held in 2007. The marquee item that year was several rolls of AstroTurf that had been removed from Legion Field in Birmingham. The chance to purchase sections of turf the Crimson Tide had played on in the stadium’s heyday was appealing enough to help generate at least $40,000 in revenue from the one-day event.

“We’re not going to have near as many things this time,” said Travis Allred, who has been a licensed auctioneer since the early 1970s. He said he hadn’t seen anything he’d like to own, but he had friends who would be interested in several of the tractor implements to be auctioned off.

The city’s public works department is donating three vehicles to the auction, including two 1978 Chevrolet pickup trucks. Public works superintendent Jeff Holliyan said the auction offers several benefits to the city and to the various departments.

“It’s definitely going to free up a lot of storage,” he said. “It will also be a plus to put some money back into the general fund.”

For more information and a complete list of auction items, visit www.cityofgardendale.com.