Some color for Sunrise?

A section of Sunrise Highway near the Lynbrook border has featured vacant lots and storefronts on one side and a large cement wall that supports the Long Island Rail Road on the other.

Now, an Acura dealership is proposed on the eastbound side, and a group of residents are looking to brighten up the other with some local art. Envision Valley Stream President David Sabatino launched an online petition on March 3 seeking signatures from people who would like the wall between Satterie Avenue and the Lynbrook border to be used as a space for public art.

Last April, Envision organized an event where members and residents finished painting the LIRR trestle in between Satterie and Horton Avenue, which was first started in 2011. The crowning achievement of the project was a mural near the Welcome to Valley Stream sign.

The mural, which was black and white and stated Valley Stream’s motto, “On the trail of the rising sun,” was spray painted by three Valley Stream artists, Brittany Ruhnke, Christopher Berger and Tim Lines.

“We had a great time, and the feedback was nothing but positive,” said Lines of creating the mural. “Even on Instagram, I’d see people taking photos in front of the mural, hashtagging it ‘#ValleyStream,’ and commenting on how they love the mural.”

In February, the mural was painted over, which is why Sabatino launched the petition to secure the proper authorization to use the wall as a public art space. It isn’t clear which entity painted over the mural. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not respond to Herald questions on the subject.

Lines said he was disappointed to see the mural painted over and thought it helped to bring the community together. Berger, a Central High School graduate, said it was disheartening to see their artwork covered up and added that having a public art space on the trestle would make the area more pleasant.

“We want to bring more community to the [area],” Berger said, “and have people put up art, things that they’re passionate about. I don’t see anything negative in bringing the community together and having them care about where they live.”