Work on an HVAC project at the historic Mauch Chunk Opera House will soon get underway.

On Thursday, the Carbon County commissioners voted to approve awarding a contract for the project to low bidder, Spotts Brothers Inc. of Schuylkill Haven, for $159,900. Carbon County handled the bids because it applied for the Local Share Account grant that the opera house received for the project. The grant totals $169,069.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said this will help the venue meet the needs of visitors by providing better climate control.

This was the second time the project was bid out. A previous round of bids, which included both HVAC and electrical projects at the Jim Thorpe venue, were rejected earlier this year because they came in at more than $200,000.

The Mauch Chunk Opera House is a nonprofit organization and music venue that seats approximately 380 people and brings approximately 25,000 people per year to downtown Jim Thorpe and Carbon County.