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November 23, 2009
MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE TURN OUT FOR CITY BICYCLE AUCTION
Over 150 Bikes Sold During City Auction for Total of $6,885
SOMERVILLE - Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and City of Somerville Purchasing Director Rose Durham announced that, during the City's bicycle auction held on Saturday, November 14th, more than 150 of the available 300 bicycles were sold to more than 200 attendees, totaling almost $7,000 in sales. Bicycles which had been abandoned and collected throughout the City had been stored in the former Powder House Community School for approximately two years, and were auctioned off on November 14th, with starting bids for each bike at $5.00, increasing in $5.00 increments. The remaining 150 bicycles may be auctioned off early next year, according to Durham, who also served as the event's Auctioneer.
"It's wonderful to see just how many Somerville residents and community members enjoy bicycling, and embrace the new bike lanes that Mayor Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development have been installing throughout the City," said Durham. "We were actually able to reunite two of the bikes with their original owners and, though we weren't able to get through all 300 bikes during the auction, we're looking into the possibility of holding an additional auction next spring, and hope to have as large a turnout as we did this time around."
According to State law, the funds collected from the auction must be held in trust for a period of two years, two months, in the event that a previous bike owner is able to prove one of the sold items belongs to them. Following that period, remaining funds will be transferred to the City's General Fund and used for community projects.
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