Norwich — In a normal year, boaters who lease slips at the Marina at American Wharf, typically receive their renewal contracts with early bird specials in the mail in early December, with payments requested by January.

But December came and went with no proposed contracts, letters or any updates from marina managers, leaving boaters on edge about the coming summer season and whether they should find a new location to dock their boats.

Gale Ennis of Preston said she did just that, but reluctantly.

“We had to leave because of the uncertainty,” Ennis said last week. “We didn’t want to leave. We’ve been there for six years, and we love it there. We’ve always been hopeful, and we’ve remained hopeful this whole time. But when we didn’t get a contract the first week of December and on Dec. 31 we didn’t get a contract, we had to make half of our payment on our new location.”

Ennis said she had put a deposit on a slip at a Mystic marina in the fall “to be proactive,” and the payment was due on the slip Jan. 6.

“So unfortunately, we’re leaving,” she said.

Deteriorating conditions at the marina have been on the city's radar for the past two years, since the 30-year-old underground fuel tanks were removed after reaching their state-mandated lifespan. New tanks were never installed, leaving boaters on their own for refueling.

The on-site seasonal restaurant never opened last year, despite a sign at the entrance saying "restaurant open." The festival tent was removed and not replaced. Last summer, a rotted portion of a dock on the east bank of the Yantic River had been left in disrepair before eventually being repaired, and the members' pool also was closed for a time before reopening.

Current owner, Massachusetts-based Joyal Capital Management, has been trying to sell the marina for the past few years. The owner put the marina up for auction in an online auction Dec. 10-13, but city officials say they have not been informed of whether a buyer came forward either at the auction or through other marketing efforts.

Several boaters said they've stopped believing repeated reports and rumors that a sale is imminent.

Calls and emails to Joyal Capital Management were not returned last week.

Donald Wallace, marina manager, said Thursday he could not comment on the potential sale of the marina or other issues. But Wallace said boaters' contracts will be sent out soon, and the marina will have a regular operating season in 2020.

Several other longtime boaters at the Norwich marina said they too hadn’t received contracts in December. Some were considering whether to shop around for new dock space, while others said they were “sitting tight” and remaining optimistic that the Marina at American Wharf would open and have services this summer.

James Matlock of Montville said the last he heard from the marina was a note to pay off his electric bill about two months ago.

“I don’t know if we’ll stay there,” said Matlock, who has been at the Norwich marina for four years. “We would love to stay there, but everything is up in the air there. We’re looking somewhere else. … We’re not happy with how the conditions are, but it is probably one of the cheapest marinas around.”

Louis Fusaro, retired Norwich police chief, said he and his wife, Jane, have had their boat at the Norwich marina for 15 years and plan to stay, although he was “disappointed” that he hasn’t heard anything yet about renewing the lease for this year.

“This is very convenient for us and it’s always been good for us,” Fusaro said. “The last couple years haven’t been so great.”

Some boaters said they were surprised and disappointed that Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom did not mention the status of the marina during his State of the City address Monday. Nystrom was vocal last summer about the need to correct deteriorating conditions at the marina, which sits on leased city-owned property.

But the owner countered that lease payments to the city were current, and the lease did not require the fuel tanks to be replaced. 

Tammy Casale of Marlborough said her family has leased a slip at the Marina at American Wharf for the past eight or nine years and hopes to stay there. She said she has remained optimistic but now is considering a “plan B” if she doesn’t receive a contract from the Norwich marina soon.

"Everybody’s kind of walking on eggshells," Casale said. "I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring."

Casale said the city needs to realize the urgency of the marina conditions and how it hurts the city's image and economy, as boaters shop locally and eat in Norwich restaurants. She said about half the regular boat tenants on A Dock have departed in the past few years. Transient boaters who come up the river for a visit or to go to the region’s two casinos are leaving with bad impressions, Casale said.

She added they will tell other boaters about the poor bathroom conditions, lack of a restaurant, the missing festival tent, no fueling station and no working wifi.

She said the regular boaters at the Norwich marina are like a summer family, which is a big part of the appeal for her. She said the boaters would help out if asked to help clean and paint the bathrooms and keep the marina clean.

“We’re hoping the town of Norwich will do something for those of us who are willing to stay,” Casale said. “If nobody takes it, could the city take it over? We’d be willing to paint it and clean it.”

The Marina at American Wharf website is years out of date, with photos of diners at the restaurant and images of the events tent. Amenities listed include wifi, “promenade tent,” and on-site restaurant. Under “recent news and events," 2016 fall boat shows are listed. “Visit us at three upcoming trade shows” listed 2015 shows in Newport, Boston and Norwalk. A boat lease contract posted is for the 2018 season.

Mayor Nystrom said he couldn’t comment on marina operations. The owners have a 99-year lease, and if there’s a buyer, the City Council would have a limited role in approving a lease transfer based on the financial wherewithal of the potential buyer.

Boater Robert Groner of Norwich, who uses the marina as a base for frequent fishing trips, said he too hasn’t heard anything but plans to stay at the Norwich marina. Groner was surprised Nystrom didn’t list the marina as a top priority in his State of the City address Monday.

“It should be a priority to clean that up,” Groner said. “I just think it’s a shame for the city of Norwich.”

Peter Disch, who owns the Thrifty Car Sales in Franklin, said “a lot of people” have walked through the marina property with possible interest in buying it, and he has heard the rumors of possible buyers for the past two years. Disch said he is “sitting tight” and plans to remain in Norwich.

“The only problem with the marina is that it’s aged and it needs some TLC,” Disch said. “Somebody has to come along who has the wherewithal to do something with it.”

c.bessette@theday.com