NORWAY — Bill and Beatrice Damon will present the town with a check for $200,000 toward the purchase of the Opera House on Monday.

Town Manager David Holt said the special presentation will be held at the town hall at 11 a.m. Jan. 4.

“Without this donation, the town would not acquire the Opera House,” Holt said.

Last month, more than 200 voters approved taking the three-story brick building by eminent domain after negotiations to buy the property from Barry Mazzaglia of Bitim Enterprises in Londonderry, N.H., failed.

A portion of the Opera House roof collapsed Sept. 21, 2007, due to the weight of water pooled on the roof. The collapse severed a sprinkler pipe, adding to the flood of water that cascaded into the two first flour businesses and compromising the building.

Officials have become alarmed by the instability of the Opera House, which according to two engineering studies, is “unsafe to the public and neighboring property.”

Bill Damon, who is a longtime selectman, and his wife offered the money to help finance the acquisition of the historic 1894 property. Damon has said he and his wife made the offer because of their deep ties to the community and their hope that one of the most important historical buildings in town could be preserved.

The 17,618-square-foot building, which sits on about a quarter-acre of land downtown, has been appraised at $185,000 by Patricia Amidon of Amidon Appraisal Company in Portland. It includes a full basement and a tower containing a historic clock and bell.

The Damons’ money is expected to be used to pay the fair market value of the building that will be established by a judge during the eminent domain proceedings. Holt said the town is about to advertise the property-taking within the next several weeks. The public notice is part of the eminent domain requirement.

Once the acquisition is made, the town is expected to turn the building over to a private entity or a nonprofit such as the Norway Maine Opera House Corporation, which recently agreed to take control of the building if the town approves.

Dennis Gray, president of the corporation, said recently that the nonprofit will also take the necessary steps to ensure there is liability insurance for the building. Long-range plans have not been formulated yet, he said.

The Norway Maine Opera House Corporation, a 501(c)(3) organization, attempted to buy the Opera House in 2003 when they were outbid by Mazzaglia.

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