Auctioneer Agreement Pending Armstrong Board Approval

by Jonathan Weaver

Leftover materials from the now closed-Ford City and Kittanning secondary schools could be sold to the highest bidder beginning next month.

Armstrong School District board directors will consider an agreement with J Dunmire Auction Service, of Saltsburg, to itemize school equipment left after the schools closed at the end of the 2014-15 school year.

School officials would receive 75 cents for every dollar of material sold at the three local schools. Board President Joseph Close anticipated the proceeds going into the General Fund following the auctions.

Facilities and Property Services Director Bill Henley introduced Auctioneer Julie Dunmire to school board directors at last night’s open caucus.

“At this point, our game plan will be to start, if the Board approves, next Tuesday (August 11). Our goal is to start at Ford City High School – we would take an inventory of everything that’s left in the school, (Dunmire) would consolidate it how she needs to for the sale, and hopefully by the end of September – with advertising for three weeks – we would be able to start the first auction,” Henley said.

Henley added that, during the latter stages of the Ford City itemization, Dunmire hopes to send half of her crew to Kittanning Junior High for a similar auction, tentatively scheduled for the end of October.

An auction of remaining material at Kittanning Senior High would likely be held in November.

Dunmire, who has auctioneered at two other Armstrong facilities – including following the closing of Kittanning Township Elementary School – specializes in school auctions and has one scheduled this weekend at the Leechburg School District field house and an auction August 15 at the former-Washington Elementary School in Apollo which might attract many buyers from all over the tri-state area.

“She has people traveling at some times from New York and Ohio to come to these auctions , so we’re trying to finalize these auctions before we really get into December, the holidays, January and the bad winter months,” Henley said.

Henley would also like to shut off utilities at the three schools and “shut the buildings down” one at a time.

Reynolds Construction Management School Project Manager Roshelle Fennel said the new Armstrong Junior-Senior High School in Manor Township will be open to volleyball and basketball athletes at the beginning of next week so the schools would be vacated.

“Nobody has really been utilizing these buildings,” Henley said. “My goal is to shut these buildings down to save the district money so we aren’t paying utility costs.”

In a response to School Board Director Tim Scaife, the remaining school building materials would be open to current school principals, teachers and custodians. Lenape Elementary Principal Brian Thimons has already reportedly visited one of the schools.

Henley said some material possibly utilized by Elderton Elementary staff include single-student chairs and desks.

“We’re going to look very hard at that – we’re not just going to sell anything that possibly the schools could use in the future,” Henley said.

The maintenance item as well as other education, business and construction items will be discussed beginning at 7:30PM Monday at West Hills Intermediate School in East Franklin Township.

1 Comment

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  By goober, August 7, 2015 @ 10:02 AM

  last time i went to one of these the auctioneer added another % on top of the bid. it was still cheaper but it seemed like a backdoor way of the auctioneer increasing his profit by charging the district for service and the bidders.it doesnt really matter but but be upfront before people get there.

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