MARION — The Marion Firefighters Association is looking for a permanent home for the association’s antique 1937 Ford fire engine, and it has its sights on the now vacant Department of Public Works garage building at 630 Mill Street.

Steve Rodriguez, president of the Marion Firefighters Association, said the truck is a “historic apparatus” and a “cherished symbol of this town’s rich history” and one of the association’s key priorities.

“Currently, the association faces significant challenges in finding a permanent and adequate location to safely store the fire engine,” he told Select Board members at a Select Board meeting on Tuesday, June 3.

Due to the lack of suitable long term storage, the fire engine has been relocated multiple times around town, which Rodriguez said isn’t ideal for safeguarding an antique that underwent an extensive $40,000 restoration.

According to Rodriguez, the garage building at 630 Mill Street would offer the necessary space and security to protect the vehicle while also keeping it accessible for community use and enjoyment.

Select Board chair Randy Parker said the Board isn’t ready to commit to any projects or proposals at 630 Mill Street, citing the need to get sewer into the building and potentially redoing the bathrooms, which would take some time.

“One of the representatives can walk down there and take a look and really get a better feel for what you want to do down there,” he said. “I certainly don’t have any problem — just not ready to commit.”

Board member John Hoagland proposed another purpose for the vacant space: creating some new housing options for people his age and older.

“In that facility that you could do something for many people,” he said. “I just want to make sure that we’re not committing a permanency to the truck.”