As of midnight tonight, the lady is a tramp.
M.S. Norgoma is no longer welcome at Roberta Bondar Marina, finally banished from the prominent city-owned berth she's occupied for more than four decades.
The former steamer is now officially homeless, but there's no indication the Norgoma will be going anywhere soon.
It's one thing to serve an eviction notice, but getting your hippie-era love child to actually move out can be considerably more complicated than that.
Built in Collingwood in 1950, the Norgoma has been a fixture on the Sault waterfront since 1975, just as Canada's version of the hippie love-generation movement was winding down and the 364-foot Chi-Cheemaun had replaced the 185-foot Norgoma on the Tobermory-to-South Baymouth passenger ferry route.
Exasperated by the vessel's deteriorating condition, Mayor Christian Provenzano declared one year ago: "That boat has to go."
In April of this year, Provenzano got his wish, with City Council voting to end the museum ship’s berthing rights at Roberta Bondar Marina effective Aug. 31.
But the St. Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre, which has owned the Norgoma since 1981, is continuing to fight to keep its ship in the Sault.
Earlier this month, the centre's board launched an online petition aimed at getting City Council to reconsider its April decision.
The issue is expected to come back to City Council on Sept. 10 with an updated report to be presented by Tom Vair, the city's deputy chief administrative officer for community development and enterprise services.
It's not known what Vair will recommend, but any reconsideration of council's original decision must be moved by a councillor who voted in April with the prevailing side, and seconded by a member who either voted on the prevailing side or was absent then.
As of 9 p.m. tonight, the online petition to save the Norgoma had more than 780 signatures, with more than 400 additional hard-copy signatories.
Louis Muio, president of the St Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre says he wants to present the petition to City Council on Sept. 10, together with a strategic plan for the ship prepared by Sean Meades at the NORDIK Institute.
Muio's group met on Aug. 17 with city officials and asked to be allowed to keep the Norgoma at Roberta Bondar Marina until the end of next summer.
"We're having a difficult time finding a space to moor the Norgoma," Muio tells SooToday.
Parks Canada, Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre and the S.S. Valley Camp site in the Michigan Soo have all said they're unable to accommodate the Norgoma, even for just the winter.
Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority is expected consider a request from Muio at its September meeting.
The city wants the Norgoma out of Roberta Bondar Marina this fall so it can replace the deteriorating wooden docks there.
"We can't get the Norgoma out of there until they move the docks," Muio told us.
City staff have advised that the docks can't be moved until Sept. 11, so they've informally agreed to allow the Norgoma to stay until Sept. 15, Muio said.
"It's not that we haven't been trying to find a place. We're looking at a couple of other sites - the old Suncor site and another in Prince Township. We can't make it happen in the next couple of weeks. That's for sure."
Another site near the former Sault Area Hospital is also being considered.
Muio, who's been a boater since 1987 and has a slip at Bondar Marina, says removing the Norgoma would probably create just two additional slips.
"If you're having the Norgoma removed for the sake of additional marina space, the Bondar Marina never fills up, except during the Poker Run and Tugboat Races. The Sault is not a destination for a lot of boaters."
Muio points out that the Norgoma has recently become self-sufficient by hosting wedding receptions, retirements and other events, even though the city has withheld its traditional $15,000-a-year grant.
The ship's growing bank account allowed for a fresh coat of paint to be applied this year.
Does the Norgoma board have sufficient cash to tow the ship out of the downtown?
Muio says he's received a tentative quote of $15,000 to take the Norgoma to the former hospital site.
"That we can afford," he says.
But a longer tow, say to St. Joseph Island, would cost $100,000 or more, something beyond the ability of the Norgoma board to pay.
The Sept. 10 City Council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m.
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