Wickets Island could have a new owner and a brighter future this fall, if the Buzzards Bay Coalition is able to make it onto the agenda for October's Town Meeting.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is asking to take $400,000 in Community Preservation funds and use it to buy 25 acres of land in the Onset Bay area for conservation and public access, which would include the 4.6-acre Wickets Island and 20.4 acres of shoreline on Burgess Point. The request also includes placing a conservation restriction on the island.

Selectman Alan Slavin said that the $400,000 the Buzzards Bay Coalition is asking from the town is part of the nearly $2.5 million the non-profit would be putting into a larger overall project in Onset. Slavin said the Buzzards Bay Coalition is looking at restoring the Onset Bath House and creating a "major complex" that would bring environmental enrichment and education to the people of Onset.

The island is owned by BRT-Wickets LLC, a subsidiary of Danbury-based real estate development firm BRT General Corp. The company bought the island in 2002 for $625,000.

The request to be placed on October's Town Meeting warrant was made by the Community Preservation Committee at Tuesday night's Selectmen meeting.

The state Community Preservation Act was adopted by Wareham voters in April 2002. The funds come from a 3 percent surcharge levied on residential property above the first $100,000 of assessed property. The state partially matches the locally-raised funds. That money must be used for historic preservation, affordable housing, preservation of open space or recreation.

Selectmen heard a number of requests from the Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday. On this item, Selectmen decided to wait until their next meeting to decide whether or not to put the item on the warrant, as they wanted to hear more about the project from Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rasmussen. Selectmen Patrick Tropeano and Steve Holmes said this was the first they were hearing about the project.

While other Selectmen familiar with Rasmussen's plan seemed open to the idea, Tropeano said he was not in favor of the measure.

"I don't see a reason to spend $400,000 on the island," he said. "Who is going to use it? Nobody has been able to sell it since 2000, because it's useless."