Flushing mural needs restoration

Patrons waiting in line at the Flushing Post Office to buy stamps or send their packages, have long had the opportunity to enjoy Bayside artist and mural designer Vincent Aderente's depictions of life in colonial Queens.
However, to the dismay of staff at the post office, the series of paintings, each representing a different geographical location in Queens are sadly in need of restoration.
With the bill to change the name of the Flushing Post Office to the &#8220Dr. Leonard Price Stavisky Post Office,” in honor of Senator Toby Ann Stavisky's late husband who was an Assemblymember and Senator, having passed through both houses of Congress and now awaiting the president's signature, now might be an ideal time to spruce up the mural.
Created during construction in 1932/33, the mural has never received any maintenance. According to Phyllis Morrissey, manager of the Main Post Office, the Postal Service only pays for repairs to its building, not refurbishment. &#8220The murals, aren't broken, but they are dingy and would definitely benefit from a cleaning,” she said.
Sponsored by the WPA/FAT (Works Progress Administration: Federal Art Project), the mural is of historical significance, not only for being a creation of F.D.R.'s New Deal, but also because it is a record of the beginning of the settlement in the area and tells the story of the early development of Queens more effectively than a long-winded history.
Residents of Whitestone, for example can immediately understand their area name as they gaze at Algonquin Indians sitting atop huge white boulders jutting from the bay, or postal patrons can compare the farming families of Douglaston with those of College Point.
Aderente created murals in many locations across America, with 12 buildings in New York displaying his work.