R TO L: Councilman Jonathan Woodruff, Mayor Latasha Johnson, artist Banks Compton and Carrie Logan, President of the Chamber of Commerce pose in front of mural.

On June 12, 2024, the City of Eutaw held a ribbon cutting to inaugurate a new mural on the side of the building adjacent to city hall. The mural portrays a typical rural scene in Greene County, with a deer and a wild turkey in a forest.

Mural painter, Banks Compton, originally from Demopolis, who has painted 40 murals in Alabama, many in nearby towns like Linden, Livingston, and Boligee. Compton received formal training in art at the Rhode Island School of Design. Compton says he is ready to paint more murals in Eutaw, if we can identify suitable wall spaces and a funding source to cover expenses.

The Greene County Chamber of Commerce sponsored the “Welcome to Eutaw, Alabama” mural with a $5,000 grant from RC&D.

Compton in his remarks said he specializes in painting murals, using special materials to cover cracks in the wall and special paints that do not fade easily. He predicted the mural would last 30 years without repainting and warned of using protective coatings that might lead to premature yellowing of the mural.

Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson in her remarks welcomed the mural as a sign that, “Our administration, with God’s help, has kept the faith and is moving forward.”

She cited a series of accomplishments in her three years as mayor, including:
• $2.6 million grant from ADEM to repair and improve the Eutaw-Boligee Water System, with no matching funds required.
• $3 million from ADEM to repair the Wastewater system, also with no matching fund requirement.
• $ 1 million from ALDOT for the Streetscape project, to redo the sidewalks on the outside perimeter of the Thomas E. Gilmore Courthouse Square. Matching provided by the City of Eutaw, Greene County Commission and Greene County IDA.
• $ 350,000 from Governor Ivey’s Rebuild Alabama Program to repave 1.34 miles of the Lower Gainesville Road from Highway 11 to the city limit, passing in from of three apartment complexes. This grant must be matched 10% plus engineering fees. The city has requested assistance from Sheriff
Benison to provide the matching funds from fees he controls from electronic bingo.
• $115,000 for 12 new sets of breathing equipment for the Eutaw Fire Department.
• a RISE grant, in conjunction with Auburn University to provide sidewalks for pedestrians to walk downtown and to shopping areas on Highway 43.

• An annual budget to measure all income and expenditures to the city has been developed and followed by the Mayor and Council.

• Two ‘clean audits’ for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 have been provided by the CPA firm and will be used in the grant fundraising process.

• The City of Eutaw in conjunction with the Greene County Commission is developing a ‘waterpark for children’ in the city.

The program ended with a symbolic cutting of a red ribbon in front of the mural. Refreshments in the form of muffins, coffee and juice were served in the City Hall.

You can purchase a small print copy of the Eutaw mural or other murals by Banks Compton by contacting his website at http://www.bankscompton.com.