More murals being removed in Windsor's west end

Another mural coverup is underway on Windsor's west end. It's being done for environmental reasons.

Sterling Fuels is painting over murals on its giant bunker fuel storage tanks on Russell Street.

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Three of the tanks, which can also be seen from Sandwich Street, depict life on the water in a border town. The murals showcase freighters, lighthouses, the water, Canada geese and more.

Ron Capser, an artist from Montana, painted the murals about 15 years ago.

The tanks are about 40 years old and hold bunker fuel used in freighters that cross the Great Lakes.

"We're pretty proud of those. Unfortunately, you just need to do that maintenance," Sterling Fuels Windsor vice-president Peter Kelly said. "And, the murals are starting to look a little tired. It's time it gets done."

Some of the tanks will be painted sky blue while others will be paint jet black, in the name of energy efficiency.

"The tanks that we heat, the black actually absorbs the heat, so it helps energy conservation," Kelly said. "We don't heat them up a lot, but every little bit helps and reduces our energy footprint."

In May, a mural depicting the Surrender of Detroit during the War of 1812 was bricked over on the east end of a strip mall behind the old Sandwich post office, at the intersection of Mill and Sandwich streets.