×

Falls timber auction nets $147,000 bid

NEWTON FALLS — The Newton Falls Board of Education has the option to accept or deny a bid of $147,000 to harvest timber on 42 acres of primeval forest at tonight’s board meeting.

On Wednesday, bidders showed up to a live auction behind the Newton Falls Middle School building to bid on harvesting the 271,000 board feet of timber.

There were seven bidders, said auctioneer Darryl McGuire of McGuire Auctioneers. The winning bid of $147,000 was placed by Noah Troyer of R&T Lumber in Middlefield.

Last month, the board rejected all nine bids they received to harvest the timber because of an oversight regarding the Ohio Revised Code that requires the district to sell at public auction anything worth over $10,000.

The highest bid received last month was $148,310, with the lowest bid at $93,000, according to numbers previously provided by Superintendent Paul Woodard, who said the district was pleased to get the $147,000 bid on Wednesday. Woodard said he thinks the board will accept it at tonight’s meeting.

Those who had submitted bids previously were able to attend Wednesday’s live auction. R&T Lumber submitted a previous bid of $94,120, according to numbers Woodard provided at the time.

Troyer signed a contract and gave a 20 percent down payment. Once the school board accepts the bid, the contract becomes official, McGuire said.

If the board approves the contract, R&T Lumber will have to pay the rest of what it owes by July 1, he said. It will have until Sept. 30, 2020, to finish clearing the timber.

The school board plans to do a selective harvest to the forest instead of clearing it all out in order to raise money for the district’s ailing budget. Selective harvest is clearing away a few trees instead of all of them.

Last month, an injunction was filed by Patti Hanzes and Werner Lange, both of Newton Falls, to prevent the district from going through with the timber sale. A hearing on the matter is set May 17 before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Ronald Rice, according to court records.

cramey@tribtoday.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today