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MANSFIELD - The Mansfield Music & Arts Society was left frustrated last week, when the outgoing board of selectmen ended its term deadlocked over the details of a proposal to build a new downtown arts center at a town-owned property on Shawmut Avenue.

"We have different approaches, and they're not mutually compatible," said outgoing selectmen chairman Louis Amoruso. The new board that begins work on Wednesday may be better able to reach a consensus, he said.

All four active selectmen candidates offered general support to the arts center project in a recent debate, and criticized the outgoing board for dragging its feet. But they also expressed concern about protecting the town's interest in the Shawmut Avenue property.

The delay has frustrated MMAS Executive Director Ken Butler, who recently pleaded with the board to accelerate the process.

Butler also offered a number of concessions to the town, including a reduction in the size of the proposed facility; the elimination of apartments as part of the complex; and the possibility that the arts society could pay the town more than $1 to acquire the property. The town seized the Shawmut Avenue property, the former home of the Fales Fuel Co., for tax delinquency in November 2002.

Town meeting voters later instructed officials to sell the property at its assessed value, which is currently $437,900, according to the town assessor's office.

Since then, however, MMAS has asked the town to donate the property to the arts society for $1. The proposal proved controversial, but it was supported by voters at the November 2006 town meeting.

The arts society, a local nonprofit group that operates the Black Box Theatre on Crocker Street, wants to build a multi-million-dollar facility at 11 Shawmut Ave. which would include a 140-seat theatre, an art gallery, and studio space.

Since then, however, the project has stalled while the arts society waits for the board of selectmen to develop a formal Request for Proposal (RFP).

Although selectmen have expressed support for the arts center, they are also concerned about the legal issues surrounding both the property and the RFP. Officials want to ensure that the property reverts to town ownership if the arts society goes out of business.

"It's a very, very tough deal," said Selectman George Dentino.

Despite the delay, the arts society has continued to move forward on their end of the project, according to Butler. The society hired a Lincoln, R.I., consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study, and also did market and audience surveys.

MMAS is ready to start the next phase of the project, Butler said, but it cannot do so until the board comes to an agreement. Fundraising for the arts center has also been on hold, he said.

More information about the proposed arts center is available online at www.mmas.org. TED NESI covers Mansfield for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at tnesi@thesunchronicle.com or 508-236-0333.