Eight years after its inception, a wall full of handcrafted ceramic tiles is almost ready to be installed at the Waterford Community Center. With 94 percent of the tiles purchased and nearly $60,000 raised, Waterford Senior Services is hoping to find the last few community sponsors before the April 18 deadline.

“Setting this deadline has really set off a flurry of activity, which is really wonderful,” Sallie Ritchie, who spearheaded the project, said. Now that people have had some time to think about what they want created, they’re ready to see them happen.

The project started in 2010 as a fundraiser for Waterford Senior Services’ Endowment Fund, which helps seniors in need of emergency financial assistance. Ritchie, who retired as senior services director early last year, said the Parks and Recreation department was added so some of the money raised could support the playgrounds fund.

The mural wall idea was inspired by a similar project at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook; the library had tiles created for the wall, and patrons could choose which ones they wanted to sponsor. Assistant director Ellen Fougere said the elementary schools in Old Saybrook often took kids to the library to check out the wall as part of a lesson on local history.

The Waterford wall starts with each sponsor, who chooses the design on the tile. They range from a simple name plate or a 6-inch square with a carving of a favorite native plant or animal to a 12-inch slab depicting family farms, iconic buildings and other scenes from around town. A selection of completed tiles, all hand-made, is on display in glass cases at the community center.

Redding-based artist Marion Grebow started creating the tiles, and Maria Williston, who is based in Chattanooga, Tenn., took over for Grebow after she put the project on hold due to health concerns. Williston said she hasn’t visited Waterford, but she went to Redding to work with Grebow to learn the watercolor technique and keep the art style consistent, and she has been in touch with Ritchie on a regular basis.

She said one of her favorites was of the Palmer House hotel because of the detail of the building. Another one she enjoyed creating was a scene from Steward Farm, with a farmer sitting on an old wagon with a horse.

Many scenes come from family photos and stories, including a Waterford Beach tile that includes members of Ritchie’s family. Others include several dairy farms throughout town and historical landmarks like the drive-in theater.

Karen Menzies, chairman of the ad-hoc mural wall committee, conducted a lot of the research for the tiles, seeking out at least two or three resources for each to make sure they were accurate. Her father was also a historian, and she put some of the research she did with him into a boat tile in memory of her late husband John, highlighting the more than 200 fishing smacks that were built in town in the 1800s.

Menzies’ other work went into tiles such as one sponsored by Pat and Jack Lewis that depicts the Waterford trolley that ran through Jack’s boyhood backyard. Pat said she found out about the project when longtime family friends bought her a beach rose tile for her 75th birthday seven years ago, and they sponsored two more so their family could be part of the town’s history. They also purchased a Waterford High School tile for their three children, and they dedicated the trolley tile to their parents, who had been heavily involved in the town.

Ritchie said there are a few more places she’d like to see sponsored, but once the more than 100 tiles are completed, they will be mounted in a display in the foyer of the Waterford Community Center.

Residents interested in sponsoring a tile should email seniors@waterfordct.org.

a.hutchinson@theday.com