NORWAY — A building permit for the $1.1 million Opera House renovation was issued Monday, about a month after work began on the three-story edifice on Main Street.
On Monday, Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman reviewed the plans and Norway Opera House Corp. member Bruce Cook paid the $700 permit fee. The corporation took over ownership of the 1894 building this year.
An offer last Thursday by Selectman Bill Damon to pay for the permit was withdrawn at the suggestion of Town Manager David Holt when it was learned that Cook would pay for it.
Holt praised Bill and Bea Damon’s “wonderful” donation of $200,000 in 2009, which enabled the town to take the heavily damaged building by eminent domain because it was deemed a public hazard.
A section of the sagging roof collapsed under the weight of water in 2007, causing major structural damage to the historic brick building in the heart of the downtown. The upper floors have been vacant for decades; the five ground-floor storefronts occupied sporadically over the years.
The building permit was posted at one of the storefront doors Monday. It requires inspection of the roughed-in plumbing, insulation and for occupancy.
H.E. Callahan Co. of Auburn is the general contractor for the renovation, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
On Tuesday, subcontractors sectioned off a portion of the sidewalk to begin construction of the handicapped ramps while work on the interior continues.
Comments are no longer available on this story