Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen is reviewing four construction bids for the restoration of the historic Tooga Theater in downtown Summerville, with all four proposals exceeding the amount currently available for the project.

The bids were opened Tuesday, October 27, with The Mitchell Group LLC of Carrollton submitting the apparent low bid of $1,451,503.

The other bids included Headley Construction Corporation of Newnan at $1,682,674; J.K. Lockwood Construction of Alpharetta at $1,691,000; and Banner Services Group LLC of Canton at $1,858,000.

Allen says the county is working with project architects to carefully review the proposals before selecting a contractor.

“We still have to look through (the bids) to make sure we are comparing apples to apples,” Allen said.

According to Allen, the bids are somewhat higher than the amount currently available for the restoration, making it necessary to determine whether certain expenses can be reduced without compromising the overall project.

The county currently has a $1 million federal grant available for the theater renovation, along with approximately $200,000 in unrestricted local funds designated for the project.

Allen said the review will focus on making sure each contractor has included all the required work and identifying possible cost-saving measures.

“We will wade through it and see what we can find. We might have to do a little value engineering,” Allen said.

Value engineering is a process of reviewing construction plans and materials to identify ways to reduce costs while maintaining the essential goals and quality of a project.

Allen indicated he hopes to make a decision on the apparent low bid by the end of this week.

The need for extensive repairs became even more apparent earlier this year when a drone flying over the county-owned theater discovered a hole in the roof large enough to accommodate a five-gallon bucket.

Allen says the roof damage is just one of numerous problems that must be addressed at the 1940s-era theater, located at 10107 Commerce Street.

Chattooga County purchased the long-abandoned building in 2015 during the administration of former Sole Commissioner Jason Winters, with the goal of eventually restoring the theater for public use.

The restoration effort has continued through three county administrations, with previous improvements including work on the theater’s exterior and marquee.

In August 2025, the county applied to the Appalachian Regional Commission for grant funding to help transform the building into a public event space.

The original estimated cost for Phase I of the restoration was $1.372 million, with the Appalachian Regional Commission expected to provide the majority of that funding.

Plans call for refurbishing the theater’s main floor and upper balcony. A separate $20,000 grant from Fox Theatre was also secured to assist