ROCKPORT — Bids for restoration of the Rockport Opera House came in higher than the amount of money the town had set aside for the project.

Town Manager Donald Willard said he was stunned to learn that the lowest bid out of the 11 submitted Tuesday was more than $200,000 higher than the $250,000 the town had allotted. McCormick & Associates of Rockport filed a low bid of $456,788.

“The bids are far too high,” Willard said Wednesday. “They are higher than the money voted by the town…it makes for a short project.”

Willard said he planned to meet with a representative of McCormick to pare down the proposal and restructure the bid. He said the Opera House Building Committee and the project’s architect would also discuss making some adjustments.

Willard stressed that until the project was changed “there will be no award until we determine if its within the range where it is do-able.”

Last June the town voted to borrow up to $250,000 to restore the historic opera house. The vote authorized the town to repay the bonds over a 15-year period. Estimated cost of the borrowing was 10 cents per $1,000 valuation based on the 1990 tax rate.

The restoration project is aimed at repairing the building’s foundation, removal of a rotted subfloor and constructin of a new floor, replacement of the rotted wood framework and painting of exterior wood siding and trim, re-engineering of the roof truss system to support the balcony and removal of steel support columns.

Other work in the project includes construction of new stairs and access ramps for the handicapped, new insulation, repair and retrofit of windows, upgrading of the electrical system and installation of a new heating and ventilation system.

Willard speculated that there may be aspect of the project that could be scaled down from the original concept.

The following firms submitted bids: S.J. Wood Construction, Winthrop, $506,000; Maine Coast Construction, Camden, $462,500; J. Richardi Construction, Warren, $478,000; Kennebec Const., Farmingdale, $539,787; A.D. Sewell, Rockland, $544,000; Cappelletti Construction, Damariscotta, $461,608; White Const., Rockport, $474,900; A.L. Bryant, Damariscotta, $558,000; Bruce Laukka, West Rockport, $468,000; and Diaz Corp, of Jay, $493,700.