MILTON -- In just a few weeks, the blank wall on the Mahoning Street side of the Milton Moose Family Center will be transformed into a graphic depiction of the town's history.

Pamela Snyder-Etters, 27, of Altoona, will paint a 20- by 60-foot mural on the wall of the building. Snyder-Etters was in town last week to research the subject of the mural, Milton's place in transportation history.

A Penn State graduate, Snyder-Etters has painted murals and other public art in several communities around Altoona, including an 1800-square foot work in downtown Altoona depicting the history of that city.

"Altoona From Time to Time" was a project for which Snyder-Etters solicited funds, sought grants and donations of products herself. The Greater Altoona Economic Development Corp. acted as the non-profit donation center for the project.

"Murals speak in a universal language and have no boundaries," she said. "People of all ages, races, sexes and handicaps can appreciate the exploration of history through art."

Snyder-Etters said painting a large mural is a challenging but rewarding task. She said as she works, she enjoys chatting with people who come by to watch the work develop, and their stories sometimes end up included in the mural.

"As a newcomer to Milton, I've become deeply interested in and at times amazed with respect to the many political, environmental and economic contributions this town and its people have made to the world," she said.

The mural project is being financed by a grant to TIME from the state Department of Community and Economic Development as a pilot project. According to Flora Eyster, Main Street manager for TIME, the Milton project marks the first time a DCED grant has been approved for public art. The Moose building mural is the first of several proposed for Milton.

The grant also provides stipends for three interns to work with Snyder-Etters through the summer.

Deb Owens, a member of the TIME board, said the board was impressed with Snyder-Etters's body of work.

"When we saw the work she did in Altoona, we thought she was the muralist who understood what we were interested in," Owens said.

Snyder-Etters has begun making preliminary sketches of the mural, in which she plans to depict the West Branch Canal, horse and wagon, railroads, trolley cars and other forms of transportation in Milton.

"A transportation mural will serve as a bridge connecting the Historic Downtown Walking Tour to the new model train museum in the Moose building," she said.

Snyder-Etters said she has developed techniques to insure the mural will last for many years, including the use of products that seal the wall to prevent leaching of interior moisture as well as use of a clear coat on the finished mural to protect it from fading and other weathering. The mural on the Moose building will take two to three months to complete, she said.