Three projects seeking Community Preservation Act funds have cleared their first hurdle by gaining initial approval from Selectmen.

A project to rebuild the Onset boat ramp, rehabilitation of the Oakdale playground, and a plan to build new tennis courts at the High School were all deemed financially feasible for the town by Selectmen at their meeting Tuesday evening.

Any department seeking CPA funding must go before Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the Community Preservation Committee to apply for funds. The project would ultimately have to be approved by Town Meeting in order to take effect.

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.

Harbormaster Garry Buckminster proposed using CPA funds to rebuild the boat ramp in Onset Bay.

"Deterioration of the ramp is getting to the point where we have to think about what we're going to do with this," he said. "We have a safety concern that we're looking at."

Buckminster said the ramp would be rebuilt to the same dimensions. He said the ramp was built in 1962, and not much work has been done on it since.

He said he applied for and received $67,000 in outside grants. A dollar amount for CPA fund requests doesn't need to be included until and if the project is filed with the town's Community Preservation Committee.

He said installing the new ramp would create lower maintenance costs than continued repairs to the current ramp.

"I think we have an irreparable ramp right now," he said.

School Committee member and High School tennis coach Geoff Swett proposed building three new tennis courts on school property and he has already raised $90,000 in private funding to do so. He said those funds are contingent on $90,000 in matching CPA funds.

Currently, there are only three tennis courts on the property. Swett said that most other schools in the South Coast Conference have at least five or six courts. He said the extra courts would be open to the public, as the three current courts are, and that it would give gym classes and tennis teams more playing opportunities.

The plan calls for the 156 x 120 foot grassy area behind Wareham Middle School on the side of the building closest to Wareham High School to be turned into three new tennis courts.

"If you can get a dollar for dollar match, it's a no brainer," said Selectman Patrick Tropeano, about the project.

Members of the Open Space Committee requested funds for the rehabilitation of the Oakdale playground. A Playground Rehabilitation Fund was established at Town Meeting last month to restore existing playgrounds in the town. Also last month, many residents came out for a clean up of the Oakdale playground.

"The community support for this particular project has been overwhelming and that is the primary reason Open Space Committee chose to do the Oakdale playground as the first in our rehab of 21 playgrounds," said Sandy Slavin, chair of the Open Space Committee.