There will be a wall somewhere inside the new senior center being built adjacent to the community center at Fairfield Hills with a ceramic tile mural, of which Newtown seniors will have the final say on the theme. John Boccuzzi, Sr, who serves on the Commission on Aging and is the chairman of the Friends of Newtown Seniors

, applied for and received a state grant, as an artist, from the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut that will fully fund the project.

On March 26, Joanne and Bruce Hunter of Danbury-based The Art Spot presented several members of the Newtown Senior Center with four design ideas they put together based on suggestions made by seniors earlier in the month. Voting opened on Monday, right after the brief presentation, and remains open to all Newtown seniors at the current Senior Center, 14 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, until 1 pm, on Monday, April 2. Regular hours at the Newtown Senior Center are 9 am to 4 pm, weekdays; the Senior Center will be closed on Good Friday, March 30.

"I think it's going to be very interesting to see how close the votes are," Ms Hunter said.

The options are:

*Cranes - indicating long life and good luck; featuring an interlocking border based on the infinity symbol, illustrating one community, support, and friendship.

*Turtles and Honey Bees - a quilt pattern indicating collaboration, friendship, and community; turtles symbolizing long life and honey bees representing a communal society.

*Sunflowers - bright and decorative sunflower pattern with a repetition of heart-shaped leaves indicating community and support.

*Abstract - for the less literal at heart; decorative, meditative, open to personal interpretation.

The mural will be done on three panels, each three feet wide by five feet high. Its location at the new senior center will be worked out with project architects.

Seniors, as well as any willing community member, also have the opportunity to sign up to help affix the tiles to the panels, at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department, 18-20 Riverside Road. There will be gatherings to put it together Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, May 29, 30, and 31, from 10 am to 3 pm, with an added evening offering on Wednesday, May 30, from 7 to 9 pm. Signups are at the Senior Center.

"Come and help us make this a reality and the most beautiful mural we've ever seen," said Maureen Will, who is on the Newtown Commission on Aging.

"This is going to be great," added Mr Boccuzzi, an artist who has worked with murals before. "It's just a fun thing to do. When some of these people get their hands in there, they're going to say, 'Oh, this is cool.'"

The paper renderings are about 90 percent accurate to what the seniors will see up on the wall, taking into account that artwork will need to be tweaked slightly to fill the large space, Mr and Ms Hunter said.

Suggestions from seniors were presented in words and thoughts with pictures and ideas they came up with describing the theme "One Town," as well as how they feel and what they want represented in the new senior center. "We were looking for symbols of unity and symbols of community," Mr Hunter said.

"I'm looking forward to doing it and seeing the end result in the senior center," said Marie McLenithan, who signed up to help piece this wall puzzle together.