Old Equipment Nets Town $23,000

What do you do with a bunch of old dump trucks, street sweepers, police cars and various antiquated mechanical equipment?

Well, if you’re a town, you could try selling them to generate some spare cash.

That’s what the East Haddam selectmen did recently. The town took a bunch of old vehicles and equipment that was just rusting away behind the public works garage and put them up for sale in a sealed bid auction.

Last week selectmen held a bid opening on the junked items and got dozens of offers totaling $23,000 for the stuff. Selectmen will meet Wednesday to vote on the sales.

First Selectman Mark Walter said the items included town vehicles that are more than 20 years old and which haven’t been used in years, vehicles such as old police cars and street sweepers. Some of the other items that were put up for sale included old shop equipment, such as car timing scopes, which haven’t been used in years.

He said most of the people bidding on the vehicles and other equipment were automobile restorers who will likely strip the useable parts off the vehicles and use them.