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WHEELING -- Have you ever wanted to own your own paddle boat from Oglebay Park? How about a salt spreader from the city of Wheeling? Or a police car or a Ford Explorer used by the Ohio County Sheriff's Department?
The public will get the opportunity to bid on items previously owned by the City of Wheeling, the Ohio County Commission and the Wheeling Park Commission at an auction this Saturday. The event -- organized by the Frio and Stack Auction Service -- is slated to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the City Operations Center, 10 Hunter Ave. in the Claytor section of Wheeling.
Many of the items available also will be listed online for bidding at FrioandStack.com, and absentee bids can be accepted by calling Frio and Stack at 304-233-3168.
Most years, auctions don't include items from the Wheeling Park Commission and Oglebay Park, auctioneers Jim Frio and Shane Stack explained. But this auction does, and the park provides some of the more unique opportunities for purchase.
There will be paddle boats that were previously used during summers at Schenk Lake, as well as three spa chairs from the West Spa.
Also up for auction will be large concrete planters and garbage cans, and two outdoor fire pits.
The public will have the chance to bid on banquet tables and about 200 metal padded chairs from Oglebay Park.
Also new this year are items from the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport, which is providing an interesting item -- a 1968 International fuel truck with only about 1,300 miles on it.
"It has never left the airport in all these years," Frio explained.
The city of Wheeling, meanwhile, has put up for auction a 2010 Ford Explorer used by its own maintenance department. While it has more than 200,000 miles on its odometer, those are "well maintained" miles, according to Anthony Peace, vehicle maintenance superintendent.
The auction will feature many vehicles used by both the city of Wheeling and Ohio County agencies, and these all have been maintained at the City Operations Center, he continued.
"Our shop has had a great and long-lasting working relationship with the Ohio County Commission that started back in August 1995, when we entered into an agreement to perform vehicle maintenance on their fleet of vehicles.
"Over the years the city of Wheeling and the Ohio County Commission have had a great working relationship and have participated in many surplus auctions together."
The city is also offering up for auction a brake lathe, a hydraulic airlift and an Alamo Flail mower that "eats up small trees," Frio explained.
There also is a Bobcat available, as well as a snow plow, a salt spreader, a sewer truck, a street sweeper and a large diesel generator from the Warwood Water Plant.
"It would power your whole house," he added.
Not all of the items to be auctioned are presently at the City Operations Center, but won't be brought there until Saturday, according to Stack.
He explained because of this there will be no preview of auction items as happens most years.
It is also one of the rare live auctions conducted by the Frio and Stack Auction Service, as most sales now happen online.
"This is the type of auction people like to come to live," Stack said. "If they are looking to buy a vehicle, they really have to see it and touch it."
Frio expects more items will be added to the auction list by Saturday.
"Who knows what will pop up?" he said. "There are always good buys. I know because I've been doing this auction for 40 years."
Frio admitted he even bought something that caught his attention during the early days of the auction. It was a large birdhouse condominium that came from Oglebay Park.
Frio added that he still has it in his yard, and recently had it refurbished.