The Onset Beach bathhouse, seen by many as a diamond in the rough, may soon be getting some polishing.

Acting Director of Municipal Maintenance David Menard has received unanimous approval from Selectmen and the Finance Committee to pursue Community Preservation funding to find a new use for the old bathhouse.

"It's a beach-front jewel of a building that's just sitting there and not giving back to the community," Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said at last Wednesday's Finance Committee meeting.

The Nemasket Kayak Center launched a kayak rental service in the space last summer, but is just a seasonal tenant. Those at Wednesday's meeting thought the building could house something more substantial.

"When I was young, you could rent lockers there, there were food vendors, it was great," said Dominic Cammarano, Finance Committee member. "It's just sitting there, and it could be tremendous."

Sullivan said the kayaking activity around the bathhouse last summer made him think the bathhouse could be more than just a run-down building.

Menard is looking for $10,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to conduct an engineering study to see what can be done with the building. Some ideas put forward included a first-aid station, lockers and changing rooms and small commercial vendors.

"It's a push in the right direction, and it would be a great use of those funds," Harbormaster Garry Buckminster said. "It can be an amenity that would make people come here."

The state Community Preservation Act was adopted by Wareham voters in April 2002. A 3 percent surcharge is levied on residential property above the first $100,000 of assessed property.

The state partially matches the locally raised funds. The total revenue of the Wareham Community Preservation Committee in fiscal year 2013 was $791,391.

That money must be used for historic preservation, affordable housing, preservation of open or recreation facilities.

"The money is coming from us but not from the town," said Larry McDonald, Finance Committee chairman. "If we can do some of these things with CPC money, we're not burdening the town budget."

"We want to turn what's essentially an eyesore into the jewel that it is," Sullivan said.