Union County auctions final Kent land

The last county-owned land parcel has been auctioned off Wednesday, with Union County holding no more property in the city formerly known as Kent.

In an auction held during a board of supervisors meeting, three parcels of land in Kent and a parcel in Lorimor were sold to eager bidders. Todd Crill served as the auctioneer for the session.

Three parcels were sold in Kent, all to the same bidder, Daniel Page. Parcels 1 and 2 cover sections of plots north of 242nd Street between Acorn and Almond streets. All three Kent parcels sold now merge into land already owned by the Page family.

Parcel 1, with a starting price of $100 rose to $3,000 by the end of the first round and was sold at a final price of $4,000. Parcel 2, which contained four distinct lots, held a starting price of $500 and rose to $4,750 at the break. The four lots were sold for a final price of $9,500.

Parcel 3 covers a plot on the corner of 243rd Street and Beechwood Avenue. The plot is the former location of the Kent Independent School District, closed in 1963. As of now, a shelter house and a raggedy basketball court remain. The plot also contains what remains of a pump station.

Today, this area contains signs constructed by the Union County Historical Village, establishing when the district closed and when Kent disincorporated in 2003. The parcel of land, and anything on it, is in the hands its new owner. The parcel, with a starting price of $1,000, rose to $7,000 at the break and sold for the largest increase of $25,400.

The final parcel covered a mostly wooded area to the northwest of 7th Street and Park Avenue in Lorimor and contained a total of 4.24 acres. The highest price of the night went at a starting price of $5,000, rose to $27,000 at the half and was sold for $31,000 to Jim Fenske.

Selling land not used by the county was described by the supervisors as a way to remove additional tax payments on their annual expenses and, in turn, find a revenue stream through property taxes.