Replacing the Central Ave Mural

On Wednesday, September 9, a meeting will be held by the Malta VFW Auxiliary to discuss the possibilities of replacing the "Freedom" mural near the underpass on I191 South/ Central Ave and public impute is both sought and encouraged.

"We have been trying to get it done for probably the last five years," said Carolyn Schmoeckel of the Malta VFW Auxiliary. "Then the process would stop and start, start and stop. We decided that this year, we are going really to do it, period."

Schmoeckel said that the discussion at the Wednesday meeting will be ideas of what the new mural will be of, but added that the VFW Auxiliary would like to see the patriotic theme kept.

Since the mural is on a state highway, the VFW Auxiliary made sure that the permit to repaint the mural is still in the club's name. Schmoeckel said that the hopes are to have the current mural removed and the concrete sandblasted and sealed before winter so the new can start being painted next spring.

The mural is thought to have been first painted around 2004 by art students at Malta High School, according to Galen Curtis who was the art teacher at the time. Curtis said senior students that year painted the mural as one of the ways to raise money for a trip the class took to Europe that year.

Once the artists are committed to the project – it is the VFW's hope that Malta High School art students will again paint the mural – efforts to fund the project will begin.

"We are hoping everyone in the community will donate to the project," Schmoeckel added. "On Wednesday, come with your pictures, come with your ideas and we are open to any discussion and we have a couple of ideas that we are going to throw out there as well."

Schmoeckel said she felt the meeting would last for about 45 minutes. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. At the VFW Club and for more information people are encouraged to contact Schmoeckel.