NORWAY — The Board of Selectmen has awarded the Opera House stabilization project to Chabot’s Construction of Greene.

Chabot’s was the lowest bidder of three bids that were opened and reviewed by Town Manager David Holt and project engineer Alfred Hodson III, owner of Resurgence Engineering and Preservation Inc. of Portland on Oct. 28. The board met Thursday evening to make the award based on a recommendation by Hodson and Holt.

“The project was awarded to Chabot’s Construction of Greene contingent on completion of the reference check,” said Holt. “Mobilization of equipment and materials should begin next week. Our preconstruction meeting has been held.”

Chabot’s bid of $156,550 included $40,900 for the demolition and abatement and $100,000 for carpentry and shoring.

The other two bids were Ganneston Construction of Gorham at $286,600, including $71,024 for the demolition and abatement work and $160,445 for the carpentry and shoring work. The highest bidder was Bancroft Contracting of Paris for $398,900, including $125,500 for demolition and abatement work and $207,000 for carpentry and shoring work.

The board was required to find the lowest responsible bidder, Holt said.

The town has budgeted $175,000 to $200,000 for the project. Plans are to use $150,000 from a Community Development Block Grant, $15,000 of a $200,000 donation from Bea and Bill Damon and another $50,000 from a Norway Maine Opera House Corp. donation to pay for the project.

Chabot’s Construction has worked on a number of local area projects during the last 15 years, including the Lewiston Public Library, the Auburn Public Library and the Children’s Museum in Portland. Hodson said at the time the bids were opened that one criteria for recommendation was that the firm had previous demolition and stabilization work on historical structures, which Chabot demonstrated.

A portion of sagging roof on the three-story brick 1894 historic building collapsed Sept. 21, 2007, due to water pooled there. At that time, engineers discovered rotted roof trusses.

The town took the building this year from Bitim Enterprises of Londonderry, N.H., after owner Barry Mazzaglia failed to stabilize it. Holt said that action is still pending in court to resolve how much money the town will have to pay Mazzaglia for the eminent domain taking.

Work to begin removing the top eight feet of masonry in the back wall, which is 100 feet long and extremely unstable, will happen after the trusses are stabilized. The stabilization project is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Officials said the goal is to stabilize it for at least five years while other efforts to develop a renovation and future use plan are developed.

[email protected].