CANTON – Seven buildings in the flood plain sold in 30 minutes at auction on Saturday afternoon. Prices ranged from a low of $425 to a high of $3,500 as auctioneer Adrian Harris of Farmington worked the crowd of 18 bidders and about 20 interested people.

All of the properties were located on Routes 108 and 140. The buildings sold included:

• 104 Pleasant St. to Randy Gammon for $525

• 65 Pleasant St. to Daniel Simart for $525

• 55 Pleasant St. to John Bissell for $3,500

• 85 School St. to Daniel Simart for $500

• 191 School St. to Todd Wardwell for $1,000

• 191 School St. to Todd Wardwell for $500

• 494 School St. to Martin Finley for $2,795

Diane Ray, who coordinates the flood buyout program, said this type of process was a first for Canton. This is the third round of salvage and demolition auctions. The other auctions drew from 50 to 1,000 bids. The previous auctions brought in an average of $500, but buildings were sold off piecemeal. Saturday’s method of selling the whole house generated more money. The money will go back into the buyout program, which is the result of the flood in December 2003.

At the onset of the auction, Ray told the crowd that all the buildings were in good shape and movable. If bid winners chose to salvage parts of the house or take the entire house, all must be accomplished within 30 days. She also cautioned buyers that soil was not to be disturbed at the site in the moving process and that the town was not responsible for any asphalt issues.

Ray said if only salvage is done, the town will clean up the property according to federal guidelines. She expects several other properties to be available by November and hopes that all properties will be cleared of all structures and debris and returned to their natural state by the end of the year. Ray said she was pleased with the results of the auction and will discuss with Harris how to improve the next one.