Film and Visitors commission to have mural painted on Abbeville City Hall

The Abbeville Film and Visitors Commission has funded a number of projects in the city during the past few years.
That includes providing wireless Internet access to Magdalen Square.
The commission now has its sights set on something those who visit downtown Abbeville can enjoy for years to come.
“It’s a mural downtown,” said Debbie Garrot, a member of the Film and Visitor’s Commission.
The mural will be placed on the west side of city hall.
Garrot attended last week’s Abbeville City Council meeting to seek approval to move forward with the project. The council voted 5-0 in favor of the commission’s request.
Creation of the mural will come from an experienced hand. Robert Dafford, who has painted more than 300 murals in the United States, Canada and France, has been hired for the project.
“All the murals in downtown Lafayette are Robert Dafford’s,” Garrot explained to the council.
Dafford’s work can already be seen in downtown Abbeville. He created the famous art on the side of Black’s.
Dafford has worked recently in Kentucky and Ohio.
“His murals in Kentucky are among the top-10 tourist attractions there,” Garrot said. “In the state of Ohio, his murals are top tourist attractions.
“We are honored to present to the city, and to pay for, a mural done by him.”
The details of the mural, including the scene in which it will depict, are still in the working stages. Dafford, who lives in Lafayette, is expected to meet with Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza this week to further discuss those details.
A Dafford mural will cost about $30,000. The film and visitors commission will use its funds collected from the now defunct hotel/motel tax.
“That will almost deplete our funds,” Garrot said of the price tag. “We want to deplete our funds in the right way.
“We want to leave something that will last in Abbeville.”
Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., District C, said he is pleased with not only this gesture by the film and visitors commission, but all of its contributions.
“It’s wonderful, the work the film and visitors commission has done,” Broussard said. “They want to complete their work with a long-lasting tribute to our culture and our city.
“I fully endorse that.”