NORWAY — Plans to renovate the first-floor storefronts of the vacant Opera House are moving forward, Norway Opera House Corp. President Dennis Gray said.
“We’re still working in negotiations with the bank (Norway Savings Bank) for the loan to match the Communities for Maine’s Future Grant,” Gray said. He was referring to the $400,000 matching grant the town received in the fall.
The grant will fund work at the Opera House, including refurbishing the basement, wiring, and plumbing and bringing the basement and ground floor of the building up to code.
The town is working with the Norway Opera House Corp. to use historical tax credits in partnership with Norway Savings Bank to further stretch the CMF dollars. The corporation is trying to get a loan from Norway Savings Bank for the matching part of the $400,000 and collateralize it with the value of the Opera House property and the historic building’s eligible tax credits.
Gray said a new round of fundraising to meet additional grant criteria will probably be started after the new year.
Meanwhile Norway Downtown has decorated the windows with Christmas lights and decorations for the holidays, and officials are working on a plan to map the future direction of the 1894 structure in the heart of the downtown.
Last year, voters authorized selectmen to take the three-story brick Opera House by eminent domain after a portion of the roof collapsed in 2007. It was deemed a public hazard, because the owner could not stabilize it. The upper floors have been vacant for decades and the first floor since the roof collapsed.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- L.M. Longley & Son hardware store and Woodman’s Sporting Goods on Main Street are reflected in the window of an empty storefront in the Norway Opera House that has been decorated for the holiday season.
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