FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2005

HEATH – A marquee that once greeted visitors to the former Newark Air Force Base for years is now for sale. The remnant of The Base is among the items currently posted at online auction house GovDeals.com through the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority. GovDeals.com is the government equivalent of e-Bay.

One of the duties of the Port Authority, as property manager of the Base Campus of the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center, includes disposing of former Air Force property now owned by the Port Authority but no longer needed by Base tenants. The Port Authority transitioned to online sales of excess property in July 2003. The move was intended as a way to increase revenue and improve efficiency, and it’s worked.

In the two years since moving to online auction sales, the Port Authority has more than doubled the annual average from auction sales. According to a report on the move to online auctions to sell excess government property, the Port Authority has grossed over $86,000 from two years of online auction sales, a $43,000 average, compared to $65,000 total for the previous four years, a $16,250 annual average.

“We are constantly looking for ways to increase revenue through innovation and productivity,” said Rick Platt, Executive Director. “Our move online has been a good management move.”

The report also shows that the Port Authority opened space for leasing and reduced manpower dedicated to property sales. Two small businesses are located in space that used to be used for storage of excess property waiting for the annual on-site auction.

The Port Authority was a pioneer, being among the first governments in Ohio to use online auctions at GovDeals.com. Today, there are 61 local governments in Ohio using the site.

Two years and 360 items sold later, the Port Authority has seen its share of auction stories to tell.

“The old Base fire truck is now in Alabama with a volunteer fire department and building I-beams removed for a construction project were sold to someone in Tennessee,” said Dennis Rogers, Logistics Manager and the one in charge of online auctions. “We even sold 75 gallons of lime green paint to a guy in Kentucky and, recently, sold 250 used office chairs to a person from Crooksville, Ohio.”

Potential bidders can subscribe to an auction e-mail alert and be directed to the GovDeals.com listing of Port Authority items for sale starting at hnlcpa.com/auction.