In its second meeting of the month Tuesday the Marion Board of Aldermen tackled an assortment of business items, including selecting an engineer for a Community Development Block Grant application and surplussing old rifles from the police department.

CBDG Grant

Aldermen on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal from engineering firm ESI to be the engineer of record on the Town of Marion’s application for a Community Development Block Grant.

In its April 5 meeting, the board of aldermen accepted proposals from three firms — ESI, Waggoner Engineering and Cornerstone Engineering, LLC — to provide engineering services for the grant. Aldermen Barbara Anthony and Stacy Blalock were appointed to review the proposals and score them with a rubric provided by East Mississippi Planning and Development District, which is helping the town with the grant application.

Mayor Larry Gill said selecting an engineer is part of the grant application process, and it is not yet clear if the town will receive the grant.

“They make you select the engineer before,” he said.

ESI employees were scheduled to be in Marion Tuesday to begin conducting a grant survey, which is also a requirement for the CBDG grant application.

Surplus Rifles

The Marion Police Department is working to replace some of its outdated equipment, including some of its firearms.

On Tuesday, the board of aldermen approved the department’s request to surplus old rifles, which will be traded in to fund the purchase of new rifles.

Capt. Arthur Hopson said the value of the old rifle will enable the office to purchase a new rifle for just over $100.

“They’re gonna give us like $600 for it surplussed, and the only thing we’ve got to do is pay $105 to get a new AR-15 to get everything updated,” he said.

New Officers

Capt. Hopson also told the board two new officers had been hired at Marion Police Department. Both officers, he said, had prior law enforcement experience.

Rochester Anderson has worked with the Meridian Police Department, Hopson said, and Marvin Warren had served with MPD in the past.