It’s back to the drawing board for Lehighton’s upper park project after the lone proposal came in way higher than anticipated.

Borough council on Monday agreed to reject the sole bid it received in the amount of $633,000 from Kobalt Construction Inc.

Kobalt’s submittal was $300,000 more than anticipated, according to borough Manager Nicole Beckett, who said the company was the project coordinator for the borough’s refurbished downtown park.

“We were hoping for bids near $300,000,” Beckett said.

Beckett said the amphitheater repairs represent the largest cost of the project.

Newly elected Councilman Donnie Rehrig said council needs to be prudent in its decision.

“Do it right the first time,” Rehrig said. “You get one shot at this.”

Beckett said she plans to come back to council next month with what grants the borough may be able to apply for.

The borough received funding in the amount of $350,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for improvements to the park, which is used for concerts, movies and other community events.

That includes $150,000 that was received from the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program for improvements to the Upper Park Amphitheater, as well as $200,000 from the Multimodal Transportation Funds for streetscape and pedestrian improvements to the streets around the upper park.

Planned improvements include new park lighting, sidewalks, ADA accessibility, stormwater improvements and pedestrian improvements consistent with the lower park.