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Excess Government Property at Auction

Paul Toscano@paul.toscano@ToscanoPaul
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Government Property Auction

The federal government may not have a bridge to sell you, but it does have an ammunition plant, an access road, and a handful of lighthouses. They’re all part of the government’s ongoing effort to unload unused and unwanted federal real estate to save money on maintenance – and bring in some bucks in the real estate market. The government lists 14,000 buildings and structures as excess and 55,000 as under- or not-utilized, and by selling handfuls of property at a time, officials believe that rem
Photo: Bruce T. Brown | Stone | Getty Images

The US federal government may not have a bridge to sell you, but it does have an ammunition plant, an access road and a handful of lighthouses.

They’re all part of the government’s ongoing effort to unload unused and unwanted federal real estate to save money on maintenance – and bring in some bucks in the real estate market. The government lists 14,000 buildings and structures as " excess " and 55,000 as under- or not-utilized, and by selling handfuls of property at a time, officials believe that removing this excess could save $8 billion by FY2012.

Click ahead to see some featured government properties on the auction block!

Posted 22 Nov 2010

You can see the full properties being auctioned on the US General Services Administration auction website. 

Old Orchard Light Station

Minimum bid: $45,000 The Old Orchard Light Station is an isolated offshore lighthouse built in 1893. It is situated in 17 feet of water, approximately 3.5 miles off the eastern shore of New York’s Staten Island. It is registered on the National Register of Historic Places The lighthouse structure is 35 feet tall and has three stories. Made out of cast iron it is a conical sparkplug-type light tower, with a 1,000 square foot keeper’s quarters, according to the national register. The island also i
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Minimum bid: $45,000

The Old Orchard Light Station is an isolated offshore lighthouse built in 1893. It is situated in 17 feet of water, approximately 3.5 miles off the eastern shore of New York’s Staten Island. It is registered on the National Register of Historic Places

The lighthouse structure is 35 feet tall and has three stories. Made out of cast iron it is a conical sparkplug-type light tower, with a 1,000 square foot keeper’s quarters, according to the national register. The island also includes a concrete pier. It is accessible only by boat.

The Old Orchard lighthouse has moved to a "soft close" on Monday, Nov . 22, 2010 and has a minimum bid of $45,000. It is currently owned by the US Coast Guard and was once the station of Frank Schubert, the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States.

Former Social Security Administration Building

Current bid: $100,000 The property for auction includes a one-story office building built in 1971, with approximately 5,060 square feet of space on ½ acre. Located in Burlington, Iowa, bids for the property have increased up from $75,000 to $100,000 as of Nov 19. This particular office building was used by the Social Security Administration, but it is listed as a general office building.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Current bid: $100,000

The property for auction includes a one-story office building built in 1971, with approximately 5,060 square feet of space on ½ acre. Located in Burlington, Iowa, bids for the property have increased up from $75,000 to $100,000 as of Nov 19. This particular office building was used by the Social Security Administration, but it is listed as a general office building.

Mount Pleasant Administrative Site

Current bid: $105,000 Located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, the 19.45 acres of adjacent undeveloped land owned by the Forest Service is also being auctioned. It is listed in the auction as being a former “administrative pasture” that includes an irrigation ditch running diagonally across the property. It also comes with an “outstanding right to a third party for a ditch to convey irrigation water.” Despite this, bids have risen from $85,000 to $105,000 since the auction opened.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Current bid: $105,000

Located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, the 19.45 acres of adjacent undeveloped land owned by the Forest Service is also being auctioned.

It is listed in the auction as being a former “administrative pasture” that includes an irrigation ditch running diagonally across the property. It also comes with an “outstanding right to a third party for a ditch to convey irrigation water.” Despite this, bids have risen from $85,000 to $105,000 since the auction opened.

Point Stratford, Connecticut

Formerly known as the Stratford Army Engine Plant, this 76-acre industrial complex in Connecticut’s Fairfield County is being sold as a redevelopment opportunity. The buildings have approximately 1.72 million square feet of space, mostly in the property’s three main structures. The property is being sold via “sealed bids,” on an as-is basis, with the buyer assuming all environmental remediation obligations.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Formerly known as the Stratford Army Engine Plant, this 76-acre industrial complex in Connecticut’s Fairfield County is being sold as a redevelopment opportunity. The buildings have approximately 1.72 million square feet of space, mostly in the property’s three main structures.

The property is being sold via “sealed bids,” on an as-is basis, with the buyer assuming all environmental remediation obligations.

Exell Helium Plant

Originally constructed in the 1940s, the plant was used primarily to produce helium for the federal government but was shut down in 1996 following the Helium Privitization Act.The property includes 228 acres of land, of which 19.87 acres are in the well site area, which includes a number of steel-framed buildings. The auction closed on November 18 and drew a final bid of $373,600 after an opening bid of $320,000.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Originally constructed in the 1940s, the plant was used primarily to produce helium for the federal government but was shut down in 1996 following the Helium Privitization Act.

The property includes 228 acres of land, of which 19.87 acres are in the well site area, which includes a number of steel-framed buildings. The auction closed on November 18 and drew a final bid of $373,600 after an opening bid of $320,000.

Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

Minimum bid: $25,000 Constructed in 1839, it is one of the oldest lighthouses on Lake Michigan, standing on a long breakwater that stretches out into the harbor. Pieces of the original tower, such as the original lens, have been removed in the past decade and placed in the nearby Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Currently owned by the Coast Guard, the minimum bid is set at $25,000 and the closing date has not yet been announced.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Minimum bid: $25,000

Constructed in 1839, it is one of the oldest lighthouses on Lake Michigan, standing on a long breakwater that stretches out into the harbor. Pieces of the original tower, such as the original lens, have been removed in the past decade and placed in the nearby Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Currently owned by the Coast Guard, the minimum bid is set at $25,000 and the closing date has not yet been announced.

Land on Neville Island

Although the auction date has not yet been set, approximately 9.31 acres of land on Pennsylvania’s Neville Island are being sold. Neville Island is located on the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania , and encompasses the entirety of Neville township. The land in question is on the southern end of the island and is described as being “excellent” for industrial and manufacturing purposes.
Photo: USA General Services Administration

Although the auction date has not yet been set, approximately 9.31 acres of land on Pennsylvania’s Neville Island are being sold. Neville Island is located on the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania , and encompasses the entirety of Neville township.

The land in question is on the southern end of the island and is described as being “excellent” for industrial and manufacturing purposes.