NORWICH OFFICIALS MEET WITH POTENTIAL MARINA BUYER

Norwich — Mayor Peter Nystrom and a contingent of city department representatives spent much of Wednesday afternoon meeting with a Minnesota group potentially interested in purchasing the Marina at American Wharf.

Nystrom said he could not discuss any details of the meetings, which lasted a total of four hours including a tour of the marina following meetings at City Hall.

“We had a great meeting,” Nystrom said. “Great people. I’m excited by their interest. What’s next is all on them.”

The group is one of several parties said to be interested in the Norwich marina, according to Richard Joyal, principal for Joyal Capital Management, the Massachusetts firm that currently owns the marina. The asking price is $1.8 million for the marina and the adjacent former Marina Towers office building, also owned by Joyal. The city owns the marina land. The original 99-year lease with marina developer American Wharf Development Corp. was signed in 1987.

Joyal purchased the marina Oct. 31, 2011, for $750,000 from the estate of former marina developer Ronald Aliano. The City Council had approved a transfer of the lease a month earlier.

Nystrom said the initial meeting Wednesday included city Comptroller Josh Pothier, City Planner Deanna Rhodes and city Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll. The group then met with representatives from the building, planning and zoning departments and Uncas Health District. He called that meeting the typical planning meeting city officials hold with prospective developers and current city business owners considering new projects in the city.

“They got a good look at everything,” Nystrom said.