Wareham residents slurped complimentary seafood bisque from Lindsey’s Family Restaurant as they listened with gusto to plans for the new Onset Bay Discovery Center Tuesday night.

The plans were discussed by Renee Dufour, the vice president of community engagement for the Buzzards Bay Coalition. Dufour said the discovery center, which will be in the Onset Beach bathhouse, will aim to provide outdoor experience, education for the community and access to the water to low-income families.

The restoration will mimic what the structure looked like in the 1930s, bringing it back to its natural and historical beauty.

“The bathhouse was by far the most complicated portion of this,” Dufour said.

The town had to approve the changes and legislative acts were passed to approve the plans. The coalition is still waiting for approval on their request for a 99-year lease of the bathhouse.

When it is finished being restored, the bathhouse will have space for classrooms and events. Even during the offseason, the building will be open for educational and community events and some camping trips in cooler weather.

“It can really become an active, daily place,” Dufour said.

Construction is expected to begin sometime next year and fundraising for the bathhouse will continue for the estimated $2 million renovations.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition has already purchased the 4.5-acre Wickets Island for camping and 21-acre Burgess Point for guided beach, dune and wildlife study. Work on Wickets Island is scheduled to begin in September.

The total project budget, including land acquisitions, building and pier renovation, land and property stewardship and launching community engagement programs is around $5.6 million.

For the immediate future, the first thing people can expect to see is the coalition’s sailing program, which launches this summer for the Wareham Boys & Girls Club.

Wareham residents were interested in how the changes would impact them and how they would be able to utilize the space purchased by the coalition. Dufour said Wickets Island, Burgess Point, docks and the discovery center will be available to the public.

“Has the poison ivy issue been addressed on Wickets Island?” asked one concerned attendee.

“What about the ghosts?” a woman added, met by general agreement about this problem.

Details are still being worked out as the Buzzards Bay Coalition seeks funds and makes its final plans, Dufour assured the group.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a nonprofit organization that seeks to engage people of all ages and get them involved with outdoor activities while building a sense of stewardship in the area. The group began in 1987 and now has around 8,000 members, 300 who live in Wareham and Onset.