Newbie - Which board and other parts?

If only one bank is on at a time (8 total LED's), is power an issue?

it wouldnt be But it is always adviced to have a seperate powersupply for things which might require more power than a arduino can supply

My bigger question about power is with the distance of the last bank from the power source. If the last LED is 75 feet away, is that too long and will the power drop?

YES