The Massachusetts House of Representatives last week unanimously approved an environmental bond bill with a healthy allocation of $1.5 million for Oak Bluffs to help repair the retaining wall along Sea View avenue that partially collapsed in February.

The bill also includes $500,000 to build a new stand-alone public fishing pier adjacent to the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority pier.

Cape and Islands Rep. Eric T. Turkington added the amendments to the $1.6 billion bond bill; money from the bill goes to improve parks, parkways and open space around the state. The House has already approved the amendments, and the bill was headed to the state Senate for a vote yesterday, the last day of the legislative session before the summer recess.

Reached by telephone on Wednesday, Mr. Turkington said the vote does not necessarily mean the $2 million will be awarded to Oak Bluffs. He said instead it authorizes the state to spend the money and puts the town in line with other towns waiting for funds for other projects.

But Mr. Turkington said because the retaining wall and coastal bank support a state highway, there is a good chance the town could receive the money.

“I think it’s a priority, and I think a compelling argument can be made it’s a priority for the town and the Island,” he said. “This money would be used to protect both a state road and a public beach that is vital to the economy of Oak Bluffs and the Vineyard.”

Kerry Scott, a town selectman and chairman of a recently formed waterfront committee, said the state money could go a long way toward developing an engineering plan for the entire waterfront — from the Steamship Authority terminal to Farm Pond. She said the town is pursuing several other funding sources, including federal money.

In a report last year, a boardwalk to beach task force recommended a wide range of improvements including the installation of new railing along the beach, new walkways down to the shoreline, a new viewing pagoda opposite Samoset avenue and new light fixtures and recycling bins. The total cost of the improvements is estimated at $2.7 million.

The task force also recommended refurbishing the old snack shack at the foot of the town beach. But when the retaining wall collapsed in February, the focus shifted away from adding amenities to protecting the bank from further damage. Last month, at the selectmen’s request, the snack shack was demolished to make way for repairs to the crumbling waterfront.

Ms. Scott said the collapse of the retaining wall may have been a blessing in disguise.

“It brought this new sense of urgency; it helped us shift our focus on things like structures and views to the health of the entire coastal bluff system,” she said. “We now have a whole new way of looking at the waterfront, one that takes into account the protection of our beaches, roads, homes — even the effluent beds at Ocean Park.

“Losing a part of that wall was a real eye-opener . . . it may have been the shot in the arm we needed.”

Nancy Phillips, a newly elected member of the parks commission and former chairman of the boardwalk to beach task force, said the priority now is to create a master plan for the waterfront that will help the town receive state and federal monies. She said the town has applied for a $377,000 state grant to bring in portable concession stands and bathrooms to the area formerly known as pay beach and Inkwell beach.

If the application is approved, the improvements will not take place until next summer at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the town has hired consultants to work on the master plan with a tentative deadline of Oct. 1.

Ms. Phillips agreed the collapse of the retaining wall, though unfortunate, may in the end be positive.

“It was sort of like a canary in the coal mine; it was an issue that everyone knew had to be dealt with, and now all the legislators and town officials are aware of it and have made it a priority . . . now it’s lots of different people and lots of different groups working toward one single goal — saving our beach,” she said.