Residents are rallying around an effort to encourage unity and revamp a community staple in Nanakuli: They are transforming the once vandalized building of the Nanakuli Super on Farrington Highway into a community mural depicting a vibrant sunset, landscape and ahupuaa.

Community members hope the mural will bring a sense of pride to the Nanakuli community and encourage residents to take care of their neighborhood. About 75 to 100 residents gathered Feb. 13 to start painting the mural, with the goal of unveiling it to the public Feb. 27.

Lead artist Ken Nishimura of Keep It Flowing LLC said the 3,000-square-foot mural is themed “aloha aina” and will not feature any people, but rather nature’s beauty. Nishimura and a team of about 10 artists have been working up to 12 hours a day. They are halfway done.

“During traffic hours … people are almost at a dead stop,” Nishimura said Friday. “We just wanted to create a really awesome scenery that’s just going to be very calming when people are driving by. This is just a reminder that we should keep things as clean as it looks on the mural.”

Funded by Nanakuli Super’s owner Okimoto Corp., the project is in partnership with Keep it Flowing, Diverse Art and state Rep. Andria Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili).

Patty Teruya, a member of the Nanakuli/Maili Neighborhood Board, agreed that the mural is already bringing positive vibes to the community. She said she passes it every day and “my mood changes.” She also pointed to the recent groundbreaking of the Nanakuli Public Library as something else to look forward to.

“It’s such a refreshing highlight when you pass on Farrington Highway. It’s like when you have a new dress — you feel good about it,” Teruya said Friday. “You want to showcase (your community) through beauty. It’s nice to see the community and businesses working together to clean up the community.”

Tupola said the Nanakuli Super is a great location for the mural because “it’s kind of like a blank canvas that people in the community have wanted to paint,” she said, adding that she is planning another mural project in Maili in September. She said the Nanakuli project is a good start, but pointed out that there need to be more ongoing efforts to clean up and improve the area.

“I think what the community looks like is a reflection of what the community feels like,” Tupola said Friday. She said she hopes people will not vandalize the mural because “they recognize it as someone’s effort, as someone’s work.”