WILTON — The years have chipped and weathered the paint on the mural adorning Food City’s Main Street wall.

Volunteers began repainting the mural Monday, Nancy Stowell said as she and Colby Ryder painted Wednesday morning.

This is the second time the mural has been repainted since Carol Bass and University of Maine at Farmington art professor Jack Carlton created the large mural in 1979, Stowell said.

It was repainted in the early 1990s when the green siding was replaced with barn red, she said.

The color scheme this time has some minor changes. The blue around the window frames will be painted white and the yellow for lighted windows will tie in with the yellow of the grocery store front, she said.

The silhouette of a black cat sitting in a window beyond the scaffolding will remain, she said.  It was added to the design in the 1990s.

Although he loves to paint, Ryder said the prep work — placing bright green painter tape around the windows to protect the design — takes the most time.

Betty Shibles is organizing volunteers. Scott Taylor from Taylor Construction loaned the scaffolding.

“Food City made a donation to the community program for it to be painted,” Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

The Community Support Program developed after voters adopted a property maintenance ordinance for the town last year. Selectmen appointed a Downtown Planning Committee and charged them to come up with an idea to help homeowners spruce up their properties.

The town is willing to assist residents who can’t take on projects themselves for physical or financial reasons, Shibles previously said.

The nonprofit program started a Paint Bank for donations to help with the projects. Donations to the Community Support Program can be made at the Town Office.

Members of the program include President Jeff Chaisson, Secretary Betty Shibles, Treasurer Rhonda Irish, Susan Atwood, Charles Ellis, Nancy Merrow, Angela McLeod and David Smith.

Volunteers are also needed, Shibles said.

abryant@sunjournal.com