Construction may be in the future for Wickets Island. BRT General Corp., owner of the island, is planning to move forward with building a single family home on the property if the town decides not to purchase the land for conservation, according to company representative Dan Bertram.

Earlier this month, Bertram met with Town Administrator Mark Andrews and members of his leadership team to discuss the options for the land.

“It comes down to if we should develop it,” said Bertram. “We wanted to see what the town’s hopes are for the island and if conservation would be the best route.”

The island is located about 1,000 feet off-shore in Onset Bay and currently sits vacant after the only home on the island burned down in the 1980s. In 2003, developer BRT General Corp. bought the land for a mere $625,000 when the previous owner sold it in bankruptcy. Although the company typically deals with large-scale developments, it has successfully applied for construction and utility permits for a single-family home.

Initial plans to build the home on the island eight years ago were met with opposition from some Onset residents who wanted to preserve open space.

Since the permits were secured in 2006, the land has been on and off the market. The island hasn't been up for sale in the past 18 months, but had a listing price of $2.6 million in the past without any takers.

Bertram denied that building plans are being used as leverage to unload the yet-to-be-sold property.

“The company would not try to hit that [price] if we go the conservation route,” Bertram noted, saying the company is looking out for the interest of all the island’s stakeholders.

“It’s a unique opportunity,” Andrews said at a Board of Selectmen meeting on March 1. “How often do you get to buy an island?”

As it stands, the are no plans for the town to buy Wickets Island, Andrews said. “We didn’t talk about price, we didn’t talk about any recommendations. Just what the prospect would be, what it would mean for the town."

Selectman Cara Winslow said she didn't think purchasing the island would be a bad idea. “We are in a financial pickle. My initial first reaction was 'no,' but I’d really like to see something from the Planning Department because at the end of the day, we're asking the community spend their dollars in some of the worst fiscal times we've ever seen. I want to see what the value is for us.”

If the town were to make an offer on Wickets Island, the money would likely stem from Community Preservation Committee funding, which is generated through tax revenue. In order to use that money, a proposal would need to be approved by the Community Preservation Committee and voters at Town Meeting.

The board decided to postpone any further discussion of the issue to a future Board of Selectmen meeting when members of the town's leadership team could be in attendance. The developer hasn't cited a time frame for construction of the project should the conservation option fall flat.