Steve R. Fujimoto/Times-Delta The south wall of Blackstone Market on the corner of Blackstone Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue features this mural. It is the oldest mural in Tulare and has been marred over the years by graffiti. The Tulare Cultural Arts Foundation is meeting today to discuss restoration of the mural. "We want to make that mural look nice again," the foundation's chairman, Steve Presant, said. Steve R. Fujimoto/Times-Delta Tulare's oldest mural is dedicated to Tulare. The Tulare Cultural Arts foundation hopes the original artist will repair the mural destroyed by graffiti.

TULARE -- The Tulare Cultural Arts Foundation will spearhead an effort to restore one of the city's oldest murals, and in a meeting scheduled for today members will determine how to complete that endeavor.

The mural, which depicts the profiles of seven people of different ethnicities under the U.S. flag, has lost its appeal throughout the years because of graffiti. Repair jobs not only removed the vandalism, but also portions of the art.

Instead of calling in a muralist, the store owners, in an effort to avoid tag signs running wild on the store's walls, use different color paints and a brush to paint over graffiti. The vandalism is gone, but so are square portions of the mural.

"We want to make that mural look nice again," said Steve Presant, the foundation's chairman.

The mural, which is estimated to be at least 25 years old, is on the south wall of the Blackstone Market on the corner of Blackstone Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. And although the decay has occurred over a long period of time, recently it has looked its worst.

The involvement of the arts foundation is only natural.

"It kind of makes sense," Don Le Baron, one of the foundation's most active members, said of the involvement. Presant agreed.

"[The mural] needs the support of the Cultural Arts Foundation," he said.

Foundation members already have two ideas on how to take on the repair job.

Le Baron said the foundation would like to contact the original artist, Antonio Reyna, and have him repair the mural. Le Baron said he believes Reyna still lives in the area, and the original artist is the ideal candidate for the job.

"It's a courtesy," he said. "That would really be a nice completion to the story."

If unable to locate Reyna, the foundation will hire a muralist for the job, Le Baron said.

Claude Meitzenheimer, the city's graffiti-removing czar, applauded the foundation's plans and said he has no doubt the renovation project will be completed.

"I feel that because of the people that are involved," he said. "I think this is going to get done."

Meitzenheimer said the mural has historical importance because it is one of the oldest in Tulare. He is also impressed by the mural's multicultural message.

"It's powerful," he said. "The idea is there."