The Select Board has pulled a warrant item that would have authorized the sale of the Southworth Library from Town Meeting.

The warrant item was pulled at the board’s October 16 meeting, after Save Old Southworth – a non-profit group proposing to turn the vacant library into an arts and education center – asked for more time to complete a more through proposal.

Town Administrator David Cressman said a total of two responses to three requests for proposals were received. The requests for proposals were sent out in September with three options – an outright purchase of the 1889 building, located on Elm Street in Padanaram which has remained vacant since the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust moved out in 2015 – a ten-year lease or a three-year lease by a non-profit.

One proposal, submitted by Glenn Leman, sought to buy the building for $335,000 – above the minimum $275,000 asking price. At the meeting, Leman said his aim is to fix up and preserve the building.

A second proposal, submitted by Save Old Southworth members, offered to enter into a three-year lease and use the space for art and educational uses. Cressman said issues were raised with the non-profit option, which included concerns that the proposed use of the building might not fit into the residential zoning of the building.

Kathleen DelSordo, a facilitator of the Save the Old Southworth group, said she didn’t feel that the group had enough time to form and draft a complete proposal in the timeframe the responses were open and due. The board also received input from several residents expressing a desire to keep the building and use it as a cultural center.

The Select Board voted 3-0 to pull the warrant from Town Meeting, and set a deadline of March 15 to have everything in order to either move forward with the non-profit proposal, or resubmit the sale warrant item to the 2018 Spring Town Meeting.