EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence Arts Council has for the moment withdrawn its request to have the city turn over use of the old Union Primary School to the organization for the purpose of operating it as a multi-discipline artistic center.

At its Tuesday, Sept. 6, meeting, the city council made it public the disposition of the building, located at 1320 Pawtucket Ave., had been removed from the agenda as the request of the applicant.

According to arts council chairman Rick Lawson the cost of bringing the historic structure up to current health and safety codes proved too much for his group at this time.

"The building needs more work than was disclosed to us," said Mr. Lawson, who previously acknowledged the long-idle structure likely need a new heating system as well. "The city wanted us to put in a fire suppression system. That would have been a huge expense."

Mr. Lawson and fellow arts council member Jen Fonseca approached the council at its August 16 meeting about the possibility of converting Union Primary into an arts center. Then, they were seeking to engage the city in a lease agreement to take to the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts in an effort to get grant money. The deadline to seek the funding is October 1. That looming end date was also a factor in the arts council's decision to put the project on hold.

"There were too many questions," Mr. Lawson said, referring to the deadline and how operational costs between the arts council and city would be divided.

Though stalled, Mr. Lawson said his organization will take up the proposal in the future and when a permanent administrator is named.

"We will revisit it when a new city manager is in place, but right now the city wants us to take on too much responsibility to rehab their building," Mr. Lawson added.