Exactly one year has passed since Bob Ballou, the DEM administrator in charge of the Chase Marina redevelopment project, expressed optimism about the vacant marina’s future, promising Tiverton officials that the DEM would stay in regular contact with project updates.

Ballou’s involvement in the project ended once he retired several months later, however, and now virtually all DEM communications with the town have stopped. Town administrator Chris Cotta said the only message he has received from the state is that progress has slowed on the project because of a funding issue.

At their Oct. 23 meeting, town council members appeared to grow impatient with the lack of activity and directed Cotta to draft a letter to DEM to try to get some answers.

The waterfront property, located at 169 Riverside Drive, was once a busy commercial hub but has been vacant since before the new Sakonnet River Bridge was built more than a decade ago.

Thirteen months ago, DEM, the property’s current owner, asked for ideas on redeveloping the site and received more than 20 non-binding proposals which have to date remained confidential.

State officials originally said the $4 to $5 million transformation of the marina into a first-class port, fishing and commercial facility would be completed by 2025. Tiverton officials are now skeptical.

“It’s going to be like this for years to come, until they [state agencies] get their act together,” Cotta said. “It’s sad, because it’s a viable property that could be utilized and bring some jobs into the area and help some of the local fishermen.”

HarborcCommission members, who are also concerned about the seeming failure of the project to get off the ground, remain committed to monitoring its progress and making recommendations that will benefit the town once it gets underway.

The commission’s Harbor Management Plan Working Group, for example, is urging the state to give priority in leasing the facility to Rhode Island-based businesses.

The group recently recommended that any lease arrangements at the Chase building include provisions requiring the tenant to make a contribution to the town in lieu of what the taxes would be.

They also noted that some state-owned locations around the Chase property on Riverside Drive are used as fishing spots and are generally not well maintained, as evidenced by litter and human waste which are “prevalent issues.”