NORWAY — The engineer for the massive Opera House stabilization project said Wednesday that contractors are most interested in the scope of the job.

“They want to know the extent of the project. How far do we carry the stabilization and what comes out of the building,” said Alfred Hodson of Resurgence Engineering and Preservation Inc. of Portland.

Hodson said one of the most difficult parts of the project will be to remove the top 8 feet of masonry in the 100-foot-long back wall of the three-story brick building on Main Street. That part of the wall is considered to be “extremely unstable.” It will be removed once the trusses are stabilized, according to bid specifications.

The job is expected to begin Nov. 4 and be finished by the end of December, according to bid specifications. Bids will be opened Oct. 28. A total of 12 contractors, from as far away as Newport, have taken out bid papers.

Hodson said he was not surprised at the number of contractors who have taken out bid papers because of the downturn in the economy.

“People are looking for work,” he said.

He and Town Manager David Holt stood outside the historic structure Wednesday morning waiting for contractors bidding on the work to arrive with their questions.

Holt said the goal is simple: “We just want to keep it upright.”

A portion of the sagging roof collapsed on Sept. 21, 2007, under the weight of water pooled there. It was determined later by an engineer that several roof trusses were rotted, which contributed to the collapse.

Two engineering studies have deemed the 1894 structure, with its imposing clock tower looming over the downtown area, to be “unsafe to the public and neighboring property.”

According to the town’s impact statement in the Community Economic Development application for grant money, a collapse could send thousands of bricks into Pennesseewassee Stream directly behind the building, or fall onto the street, where an estimated 12,000 vehicle pass daily. A collapse could also damage other historic structures on Main Street.

The town took the property this year via eminent domain law, which allows governments to seize private property for several reasons, including public safety. The owner must be compensated.

The Opera House was purchased by Bitim Enterprises owner Barry Mazzaglia of Londonderry, N.H.,  in 2003 for $225,000, after it was placed on the state’s Most Endangered Historic Properties list by Maine Preservation of Portland. The designation is to raise awareness and focus the need for an organized rescue of significant historic properties that are threatened by deterioration, disuse and even demolition.

Mazzaglia, a developer, did not have insurance on the property and was unable to stabilize it following the roof collapse. The town eventually took it and offered him $185,000, an amount determined by an appraisal company.

The Opera House was constructed by the Norway Building Association in 1894, and from 1920 to the mid-1970 was owned by the town, which used its upper floors for cultural and civic events. After that, it had a succession of private owners, but the second and third floors have remained vacant since the 1970s.

[email protected]