PEMBERVILLE — At a time when some 85-year-old women are content with sitting in their rocking chairs wearing their shawls, one Pemberville woman is trying to make her town an even more beautiful place.

Roberta Reiter is working to make the Wood County village a bit brighter by having a mural painted on the surface of Countyline Co-Op’s feed mill at 425 E. Front St.

“I first got the idea from the murals they painted on the silos along the (Maumee River),” said Reiter. “I thought that would be good here, too.”

Reiter said she discussed the idea with Pemberville Mayor Carol Bailey, who urged her to move forward with the idea.

Reiter knew the next step was to gain permission from the owners of the grain elevator.

“It just so happened to be that when I contacted the elevator, they were going to have a board meeting that night,” Reiter noted.

Having received permission from the co-op’s board to proceed with the project, Reiter said it was time to start thinking about how to pay for it.

“This town is known for the kindness and generosity of its residents. One year, money was raised to make improvements to the town’s opera house. That same year, money was raised to make improvements to the town’s swimming pool,” Reiter said, reflecting back on town residents’ willingness to dig deep into their pockets to give money for worthwhile projects.

Reiter gave an update during a village coucil meeting earlier this month. She reported she has collected about $17,000, or nearly half, of the $35,000 target for the project.

Reiter, who has no background in art, said she hopes village residents share her vision about the mural.

“We’ll see if they like the idea when we do fundraisers for (the project).”

Reinter has already opened an account for the project at the local bank, the Union Bank in Pemberville.

Ideas for the project are flourishing. The first thought was to paint the mural on the silos at the elevator.

“We now want to paint the mural on the flat surfaces (of the elevator),” Reiter said, adding there are four flat surfaces.

The size and images are still being discussed, Reiter explained.

While the finished product depends on the amount of money that is raised, Reiter has high hopes for the project.

“I hope it will be a conversation piece.”

The 53-year resident of the village said discussions continue regarding the scope and the objects being painted on the elevator.

Reiter said she will be using the area’s Facebook page, Pemberville Proud, to spread the news about the mural project.

To help get the project started, at least as far as fundraising is concerned, Reiter said she is in the process of launching a website, PembervilleMuralProject.org so that anyone can get information about it.

Reiter said she has picked a crew chief for the project, Dean Davis of Whitehouse, who was the crew chief for the Maumee River silo murals.

“He is the one who was the crew chief for a similar project for murals painted in New Washington (Ohio),” she said, referring to the Crawford County village.

Reiter said she hopes to get the painting started as soon as they reach about 50% of the estimated cost of the project.

“We hope to get started in late September or early October,” she said.

She hopes to have the project completed by the fall of this year, if the weather cooperates.

Categories for the amounts to be raised are as follows:

• $5,000 and above, Out of this World Donor;

• $1,000 to $4,999, Super Supreme Donor;

• $250 to $999, Wonderful Donor;

• $10 to $249, Much Appreciated Donor.

Reiter pointed out donors will have their names and the amounts they donated published on the website, unless they wish to remain anonymous.