University auctions forgotten bikes

At 9 a.m. Saturday, the Jordan Avenue Parking Garage will be host to the auction of 250 bicycles that have been impounded by the University's Parking Operations. \nThe auction is open to students, faculty and Bloomington residents. Doug Porter, Parking Operations manager, said the conditions of the bicycles being auctioned vary. Some are useful only for the spare parts while others offered can be ridden away after purchase. \nBecause the bikes are sold in auction format, the prices can range from $1.00 to $100.00, though most sell for about $50.00, Porter said. The auction, according to Porter, is a way for Parking Operations to remove abandoned bicycles from storage and into the hands of students that can use them for transportation around the Bloomington campus. \n"The bikes keep accumulating, and we don't know what to do with them," Porter said. \nDan Henry, a dispatcher in the parking enforcement office, said that bicycles are impounded after they have been tagged by the office and have remained tagged and unmoved in spots around campus. After six months of remaining unclaimed, a bicycle will be put on auction. \nAuctions occur twice a year, once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester. \nSteve Fiskus, a lieutenant in the IU Police Department -- who at one time worked as the auctioneer at these sales -- will also turn over other confiscated and abandoned materials such as backpacks and books to be sold in the auction.\n"It is a utilization of property that students have abandoned and can be used by other students. It is just like recycling," Fiskus said. \nBikes can be viewed starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.