NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Community leaders are fighting their growing graffiti problem by arming a local artist with paint of his own.

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Cement pillars on Nolensville Road that are normally covered with graffiti were cleaned Monday to make room for more paint.

This isn't the first time crews have had to clean graffiti off of the pillars.

Community leaders said they hope it will be the last.

“It bothers me every time I see it, because it sends a bad message about our neighborhood and who we are,” said area resident Michael Hullett.

Neighbors said the graffiti problem has gotten out of control.

Residents said they hope muralist Michael Cooper can help put a stop to it.

Cooper has painted murals on other parts of Nashville. He is responsible for the mural on the side of the “You Greek, Me Greek” building near Vanderbilt University and also a wall at the bicentennial mall.

He’s now preparing to paint the pillars on Nolensville Road to make them look like stone with animals crawling on it.

"I don't want to disrupt traffic or anything, but I do want people to look a couple times to make sure there hasn't been an escape at the zoo or something like that,” he said. “I want people to look up and smile.”

Community leaders said they want the murals to welcome people to their area instead of the graffiti most drivers see.

They said it will also serve a more important purpose.

“Murals actually act as a deterrent to graffiti. It's almost like a professional courtesy. Seriously, people don't want to deface artwork,” Cooper said.

Cooper said he hopes to start priming the pillars Tuesday and thinks it will take about three weeks to finish the project.

Metro Councilwoman Anna Page said it's taken about a year to put the project together.

This is the first time anywhere in the country that CSX Railroad has allowed someone to paint its property.