After years of planning and a more than $5 million investment by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the newly constructed Onset Bay Center is on track for a June ribbon-cutting — and a summer packed with new programs.

The Onset Bay Center is the new name for the Onset Bathhouse, which was rented and rebuilt by the Buzzards Bay Coalition to serve as a hub for classes and events in Onset and on Wickets Island, which is owned by the coalition. 

As construction wraps up, Katherine Garofoli, the head of the Center, said that she is excited for people to see the building, which will include storage for boats, lifejackets, and other equipment, along with a glass-walled room for use as a classroom and for meetings, which could also be used by other organizations.

The building will also include a tribute to Dick Wheeler, an Onset icon and environmentalist. The kayak he used on a journey from Newfoundland to Buzzards Bay to bring attention to the extinct great auk will be displayed, along with information about Wheeler’s life and work.

Garofoli said that the coalition hopes at least 850 people will engage with the center during its first year of operation -- a number she thinks they’ll exceed.

“We’re really hoping it becomes a hub of the Onset and greater Wareham community,” Garofoli said. Garofoli, who most recently served as the director of the Dennis Conservation Land Trust, said she was drawn to the position by the coalition’s mission to engage people on and in Buzzards Bay. She said that mission lines up with one of her core values: “[Getting] people excited about the natural world and how they can interact with it, which ultimately leads to them wanting to steward the land and our coastal waters.”

The programming planned is extensive, ranging from full-day camps to weekend activities for families and evening sailing classes for adults.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition has also been working to make Wicket’s Island more accessible. The island was once the site of a mansion, which was destroyed in a fire. In recent months, the Coalition has been working to remove invasive plants from the island and filled in a cistern. Crews are also working to replace the stairs up from the dock, and will be improving the pier to make it easier for visitors to dock and offload.

The centerpiece of the summer programming will be a “Bay Explorers” day camp for kids ages 7 to 12. The camp will get kids out on the water -- swimming, sailing, and paddling -- and in nature at Burgess Point, where they will learn about the plants and animals that live on the coast. 

Other activities for kids, including classes and workshops, are being planned.

Programs for adults will include evening classes for beginning sailors, and full moon paddle events in conjunction with Nemasket Kayaks, which will be subleasing part of the building. The center will also be offering shellfishing classes off Burgess Point in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources and the Harbormaster.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is working in partnership with many other local organizations, including the Gleason Family YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, the CARE program, and the Massachusetts Department of Education, often to make sure that the coalition’s programming is available to kids regardless of their family’s economic status. 

Garofoli said that all the classes are priced at reasonable rates, and the center will be offering complete or 75 percent off scholarships to families in certain income brackets.

The coalition is looking to hire seasonal staff for the center. For more information on programming and job openings, go to savebuzzardsbay.org. Garofoli can be reached by phone at 508-999-6363, ext. 227, or by email at garofoli@savebuzzardsbay.org.