Norwich ― Patrick and Brittany Dwyer completed their purchase of the Marina at American Wharf on Monday, and by Tuesday morning, the couple were assessing immediate and long-term needs for the Norwich Harbor centerpiece.

Brittany Dwyer’s desk in the second-floor office already is becoming cluttered with work materials, and Patrick is using a compact excavator to start cleaning up the marina grounds. Norwich city leaders said they welcome the new burst of enthusiasm to return the marina to its marquee position on the manmade Hollyhock Island in the harbor.

“We keep hearing from everyone in the city,” Brittany Dwyer said, about the former days of music, events and crowds on the grounds. “That’s the goal. Bring it back to life, revitalize it. It’s a process. It will take time.”

The couple purchased the marina business under the name Patten Marina Holdings LLC from former owner Joyal Capital Management for an undisclosed price. The city transferred the remaining years of the original 99-year ground lease for the marina to Patten Holdings, with documents signed on Friday.

The Dwyers, of Somers, said they will use the fall and winter months to do as much sprucing up as possible, painting docks, railings and buildings, removing overgrown landscaping and cleaning the grounds. The marina website will be revamped over the next two weeks, introducing the new owners and providing contact information.

The Dwyers already have listed the seasonal marina restaurant ― which never opened this year ― and the long-shuttered former ice cream shop building on the mainland east shore, with Berkshire Hathaway real estate firm. They are seeking a restaurant tenant, preferably one with the capacity to cater for large events in the banquet tent ton the main patio that they plan to restore. They hope for ideas from that same restaurateur for the former ice cream building, or they will try to find a second vendor for the shop.

Patrick Dwyer said the couple have been shopping to buy a marina up and down the East Coast, from Massachusetts to Florida, since 2018. Both 43, they grew up in Connecticut, and do their own boating on Long Island Sound, docking their vessel in Mystic.

Patrick Dwyer said he has worked in construction and property management all his adult life. Brittany started her career in banking until she joined her husband’s business. The couple have three children ages 10 to 16.

“I see this as a good opportunity,” Patrick Dwyer said.

“We did like the quiet, calm location,” Brittany Dwyer added.

The couple met with City Manager John Salomone and Norwich Community Development Corp. President Kevin Brown this past Friday. Salomone said he was impressed with the Dwyers’ short-term and long-term plans and shared the city’s visions for the property as well.

The new owners have been approved for a $10,000 planning and engineering grant through the Norwich Revitalization Program, funded through American Rescue Plan Act grant money. Brown said once the marina plans are finalized, Patten Holding could apply for some of the remaining money in the program. NCDC, which is managing the program, has $621,000 remaining uncommitted in the fund, with a maximum of $300,000 allowed for any one development.

The city also has applied unsuccessfully for state Community Investment Fund grants to revitalize the city waterfront. Brown said when the city reapplies, the application will include a request for funding to replace marina gasoline and diesel fuel tanks removed by the former owners in a move that angered city leaders and boaters.

“Having the fuel tanks creates an enormous change,” Brown said, “with boaters willing to come 13 miles up the river, knowing there’s a reliable fuel source there.”

But Brown said city leaders understand the Dwyers’ desire to focus on “practical and pragmatic” improvements at the start, including painting, repairs, finding a new restaurant operator and restoring the banquet tent.

Longer-term goals include renovating the seasonal restaurant buildings into a year-round facility, installing new fuel tanks and forming a plan for the land adjacent to the former ice cream shop, where a popular miniature golf course had been located decades ago.

Brittany Dwyer said there likely will not be any major events at the marina through the winter.

“We want to make it look better,” she said. “We’re hoping and planning for a grand reopening in spring. I want to make it look fresh and new.”

c.bessette@theday.com