Date:  Sunday, August 16, 2009

Contact: Mike Murphy, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4699
Jeff Switzer, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4700
For information on the auction: Sharon Caudill, 206-440-4171

WSDOT auctions off nearly two dozen cabins in unusual twist with sustainability program

SEATTLE – The Washington State Department of Transportation is auctioning off 22 cabins, one manufactured home and a lovely wood lodge Wednesday, Aug. 19. Walk-throughs are scheduled for Monday. Minimum bids start at $10.

“It is not uncommon for WSDOT to reuse dirt, concrete or gravel, but it’s unusual that we offer up for sale two dozen buildings that sit on recently purchased private property,” said Lorena Eng, WSDOT Regional Administrator.

WSDOT purchased 3.4 acres of property along SR 542 east of Glacier as part of an $11.7 million project to tear down an older, low clearance bridge over Gallup Creek. Crews will replace the bridge with one that will better withstand the heavy toll winter takes on this state highway.

SR 542 Gallup Creek bridge
Gallup Creek is slowly rising as the streambed fills with debris and rocks. During the rainy season, the bridge that carries SR 542 over the creek is routinely slammed by heavy rocks and the water threatens to flood the highway, flood local property and destroy the bridge entirely. www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR542/GallupCreekBridge.

The 2005 legislature approved a plan to replace the bridge with a taller and longer structure able to withstand the pummeling during storm season. To build this new bridge, WSDOT bought the property including the Glacier Creek Lodge and the cabins.

The auction
On Monday, Aug. 17, WSDOT will open all the cabins for a walk-through so prospective buyers can take a look from 10 a.m. to noon. The actual auction is Wednesday, Aug. 19, with bidding starting at 10 a.m.

“The minimum bid on most of the cabins is $10. The lodge will start at $100. Most of the cabins have new vinyl windows. There’s a deal right there!” said Cris Blankenship, WSDOT Real Estate Services.

Once the cabins are sold, buyers have until Sept. 30 to remove them from the property. The $11.7 million bridge replacement project is scheduled to be complete by 2011.

Glacier Creek Lodge
WSDOT bought the property for $744,500, which included all the cabins and their contents. Now the cabins must move to make way for the new bridge. WSDOT estimates it would cost more than $110,000 to tear down and haul all of the structures to the landfill.

WSDOT staff determined that auctioning off the cabins to be reused would be the right way to make way for the bridge and save taxpayers money.

“This is a little kinder to the environment,” said Blankenship. “Lots of people up here near Glacier have property, but either don’t have cabins or want more cabins. They have expressed interest in buying the cabins and moving them to their property.”

Sustainability
This is an unusual twist on WSDOT’s sustainability program. While we routinely reuse concrete, gravel and dirt, recycling a home is a little different. But the benefits are clear.

WSDOT saves money by not tearing down and hauling off the cabins, the money made at the auction goes into the state motor vehicle fund which, in turn, can support other WSDOT projects. Nothing goes to the landfill. Locals tell us they are excited about the prospects this auction brings.

For more information about the available cabins, please read the auction flier (PDF 1MB).

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