An old molasses tank welcoming visitors to Babinda, south of Cairns, has become a source of frustration for the town's residents who want the "eyesore" gone.
The storage tank has not been used since the Babinda Sugar Mill was closed in 2012 and has been deteriorating ever since.
Rodney Edwards, president of the Babinda Chamber of Commerce, has battled for the past five years to either have it removed or turned into an artwork.
"It's ugly, just dirty and ugly," Mr Edwards said.
"Everyone that drives through the town sees the name Babinda and all they see is this eyesore on one side of the highway.
"It's not fair for all the people who care about the look of the town."
Public art proposals fail
The tank is owned by Australia's largest rail freight operator, Aurizon.
Residents have twice secured funding for separate mural projects to beautify the structure, however Mr Edwards said Aurizon would only approve the public art pieces if Cairns Regional Council agreed to take ownership of the tank.
"We'd love to see it stay and let us clean it up and let us put a mural on it but it's never going to happen because every time we get to that point, Aurizon uses it to hold the Cairns Regional Council to ransom," Mr Edwards said.
"It just needs to be gone and the whole area cleaned up."
Owner not budging
Aurizon would not comment on the request for a mural to be painted on the tank, but in a statement said it did not have plans to dismantle and remove the tank.
A spokesperson confirmed the company had previously offered to gift the tank to Cairns Regional Council, citing its "historic significance to the community".
The Council's division one Councillor, Brett Moller, said ownership of the tank would prove to be a financial liability.
"The gifting is saving a fist-full of dollars to Aurizon to decommission it so it's just a cost transfer to Council," Mr Moller said.
"There's a lot of rust and other issues with the tank and it would be a significant cost to Council.
"We don't even know what the condition and state inside that tank is, but we're not prepared to spend ratepayers' money on it."
