Two children with fish tails play alongside a blowfish, their happy faces marred only by the grooved patterns of the brick building on which they are painted. A large green mermaid peeks out from behind a metal service door that grants access to the pump station inside.

The mural was a months-long project designed for the community to leave their mark on a municipal building, in this case, a utilities pump station house on the corner of Maple Avenue and Hillside Avenue. It was nearly completed. However, when residents spotted the pump house on Sept. 26, they were surprised to find that, though the building was still blue, the mermaids and sea creatures had all but disappeared.

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