PROCTORVILLE - In a first for the ODOT District 9 Real Estate Department, the Ohio Department of Transportation sold several tracts of excess land

at public auction last weekend, garnering nearly $500,000 and returning the lots to private hands.

"We are pleased to be able to recoup some of the money spent in property acquisition for the Chesapeake Bypass project and give private citizens the opportunity to put this property to use," said ODOT District 9 Deputy Director John F. Hagen.

According to Hagen, the properties sold during Saturday's auction at the Proctorville Fire Department's Bingo Hall were purchased by the state as part of Phase 1B of the Chesapeake Bypass project. ODOT was required to purchase these properties as they were considered uneconomic remnants by the former property owners.

Although the bypass project left an impact to these sites, the properties are still viable for future owners.

With 59 bidders in a crowd of more than 125, District 9 Real Estate Administrator Tom Corbin sold 15 parcels of property in just more than an hour to net $491,000. Included in the 15 parcels were seven vacant tracks of land and eight tracks with homes, and all of those sold exceeded the minimum required bid. And while it has yet to be determined specifically where the money will be directed, the funds collected from such an auction can now be returned to improvement or safety projects in the district.

"The auction has been deemed a great success for the department, and we found the community to be very receptive to our process," said Corbin.