Chattooga County is preparing to take another step toward renovation of the historic Tooga Theatre in downtown Summerville, with contractors facing a deadline later this week to submit bids for the first phase of the project.

The county is accepting sealed bids until 10 AM Friday, September 18, for Phase One of the Tooga Theatre Renovation Project. Bids must be delivered to the Chattooga County Commissioner’s Office at 10002 Commerce Street in Summerville.

The project is being funded through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs under grant number GA-22084. A mandatory pre-bid walkthrough for interested contractors was held on August 28, meaning firms planning to submit proposals should already have inspected the building and reviewed the planned work.

Complete construction documents and plans have been made available through Gary Lowery of LDG Design Management.

The Tooga Theatre has long been one of downtown Summerville’s most recognizable landmarks, and the Phase One bid process marks the beginning of the physical renovation effort after years of planning and work to secure funding for the building.

The county reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive bid informalities where permitted under applicable law and federal grant requirements.

Once bids are opened Friday, the next major questions will be how many contractors submitted proposals, the amounts of those bids, which company is ultimately selected and when construction could begin.