[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6519048,"mediaKeyId","5381335-8722aaae62173d91197752eb394871d2","parentId",5381335,"title","Grand Island board taps DECA intern to design unified community calendar","audioSeconds",1043,"startMs",3113000,"endMs",4156000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5381335-8722aaae62173d91197752eb394871d2&start=3113&end=4156","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5381335-8722aaae62173d91197752eb394871d2/thumbnail_3113000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6519048/Grand-Island/Erie-County/New-York/Grand-Island-board-taps-DECA-intern-to-design-unified-community-calendar","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519048-5aa9c6dc41fd425d58d46b871fbeacfe/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448333&Signature=hvMqOx-mIVRuIw4oX~~mxe1AfPt43ZD6-xK~xLGy3vo-DgE3MdtfHXzlci3igzIwPEASJAQYfkg~JnZq-UeY-5p7M4nhdE6KVH6hrLbZduqAKbOQaVL6MsQiiYZ1Y8xMyGTAn60cHGVKZqXJ7Yo756YlulJRGv9jOh209CiO~CN9MyErVb2GFh~J-M1CPDZp5FyPHHqdmukv0GqXCZ1oJv4P4LJ9XkPvaV55McmP6xY8IYrOF1teMuYY-INbE755WD0ViLJWXFMo1AhxacaeaYxXFLCxNmAU8R9xMKYtOQCYjpK5kPcwVc0rv~RQ4lXJpuZO4lCw5GYBZGJXEN2LiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Grand Island, NY","date","2025-07-14T14:49:16.62Z","article","The Grand Island Economic Development Advisory Board assigned a student intern from DECA to research and recommend how to build and sustain a single community calendar that would combine school, town, Chamber and other local events.

The board introduced Sienna Sarkees as the DECA intern who will do the research and produce a set of recommendations. \"The document was great. It was really helpful,\" Sarkees said after reviewing the board’s draft project scope. She told the board she will both prepare written materials and present findings, and that she has a near‑term meeting with her DECA advisor, Mrs. Chamberlain, to break down deadlines and deliverables.

Why it matters: multiple local calendars currently exist across town government, the school district and the Chamber of Commerce; the board said a single, sustainable calendar could make it easier for residents and organizations to find events and reduce duplication of outreach.

Scope and deliverables
Sarkees and the board agreed the internship will focus on research and recommendations rather than building a finished, live calendar. The intern’s deliverables will include recommended hosting options, a proposed workflow for adding and maintaining events, a suggested budget, and a sustainability plan for ongoing maintenance. The board asked for recommendations on who should be responsible to upload events and how to ensure data remains current.

Process and schedule
Board members asked Sarkees to provide monthly updates to the advisory board so the group can give feedback during the project rather than only at the end. The board discussed aligning the student’s timeline with DECA requirements; Sarkees said she expects to produce presentation material and a written report and that she meets Mrs. Chamberlain next week to set specific milestones. Board members suggested outreach to schools, religious organizations, senior groups and community nonprofits to gather stakeholder input during the research phase.

Organizational coordination and sustainability
Board members stressed the importance of making the calendar sustainable: who will host it, how data will be uploaded and who will maintain the calendar when the internship ends. The Chamber of Commerce, school and town websites were named as possible hosts; board members suggested integrating existing pages where feasible and creating a single landing page with a submission form. The board discussed publishing recommendations to the town website and ensuring any submission email addresses are routed to committee chairs or staff for follow‑up.

Next steps
Sarkees will meet with her DECA advisor and return with a schedule and initial findings. The board asked that Sarkees present brief slide updates monthly and supply a final written recommendation by the end of her internship window (the board noted the intern’s DECA participation likely runs through November). The board also offered to help with outreach to town, school and Chamber contacts to support stakeholder interviews and data collection.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","7/10/2025 Economic Development Advisory Board","oneSentenceSummary","The Economic Development Advisory Board took steps to commission a DECA student intern to research a town‑wide community calendar, focusing on stakeholder roles, hosting options and sustainability rather than building the site during the internship.","taxTitle","Grand Island, Erie County, New York","taxId",54969,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6519053,"Grand Island committee advances painted utility‑box pilot, aims for three installations",2840,282000,3122000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5381335-8722aaae62173d91197752eb394871d2&start=282&end=3122","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5381335-8722aaae62173d91197752eb394871d2/thumbnail_282000.jpg","/articles/6519053/Grand-Island/Erie-County/New-York/Grand-Island-committee-advances-painted-utilitybox-pilot-aims-for-three-installations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6519053-07ed21ed1eabf921b7081e7b32522455/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448333&Signature=V44mJZUHSE5cL7wlXg0f~T5j6WZVgsGrQk61E1UdqHr6Nh3oPLiqwU6zj9VwliR0~TeXlQMfFoUgiBdP~mWyhqScywY2Eyy-b2JWHa8q1VbPel3dIj-Ei1BgRtUc2pXGEpjtw5ls9IPgM3ZBZpVyy-Cf~VX8bhGKvdsauZWnmTi90C4bvn0smF0~A3sp2tVylC56SiZCScdnNTjd3BjjopV~Z96ezCquvsQkBu1lnHZ73ZDUzIZCkNCF0xSEw8cWmhq7t-FmgoyVtDrn-H6adet6g5~cB8bezyoQb1q9X7Gd2iAoCQwSvlxLQey~hqEHn-RbsKGtqYnAPYOSE0JANQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Grand Island Economic Development Advisory Board discussed details of a pilot program to paint three traffic/utility boxes around the island, including materials, artist selection and a proposed timeline.

The pilot, outlined by community member Justin Karcher, would start with three boxes at visible locations near Baseline and Whitehaven and a site on Grand Island Boulevard. \"I will personally just prime the boxes, you know, get them ready to go,\" Karcher told the board as he described a process he modeled on an Amherst program and the guidance that group used.

Board members said they want consistency in finish and verification that artists follow submitted designs. The discussion covered who supplies materials (organizers plan to provide paint, drop cloths and other supplies but not artists' brushes), the type of paint to use (Rust‑Oleum enamel was mentioned), and a Home Depot materials list Karcher estimated at about $600 total for the pilot. Karcher also proposed paying artists an honorarium of $200 after final clear coating and sign‑off.

Why it matters: painted utility boxes are a visible, low‑cost public art approach used to highlight local themes and engage residents. Board members said the project could promote local history and businesses while creating public interest, but they flagged concerns about unintended commercial advertising and consistency across boxes.

Discussion highlights
- Materials and finish: Karcher said organizers will supply main materials and do priming and final clear coats to ensure consistent finishes and to verify artists adhered to their designs. The board discussed technical details, including a recommendation to avoid thinning paint with mineral spirits (which one speaker said led to peeling) and to use acetone where indicated. The guidance cited recommended painting conditions of roughly 50–85°F and humidity below about 85 percent. Karcher said the painting itself typically takes a few days and that the town should schedule for favorable weather, suggesting September as an ideal painting month.
- Artist eligibility and process: The group debated age limits and supervision for younger artists. Members discussed restricting the pilot to adults (18 and over), or allowing high‑school seniors with parental sign‑off and supervision. The board agreed that any requirement for minors should be moved to the application form as parental signature and assignment of a responsible adult.
- Selection and publicity: The board discussed using a two‑stage selection process modeled on Amherst: a committee review to narrow submissions (committee suggested up to a top‑10 shortlist if entries are numerous) followed by a community vote. To reduce perceived favoritism, members suggested a blind rubric or numbered submissions for voting and limiting business logos on boxes; one member said the Amherst program avoids corporate logos.
- Logistics and costs: Karcher estimated about $600 in shared materials for three boxes and proposed a $200 honorarium per artist. He noted artists typically bring preferred brushes (so organizers would not provide brushes). Locations discussed were Baseline & Whitehaven and Grand Island Boulevard (two sites were described as forming a triangular set of visible boxes).

Board directions and next steps
The group asked volunteers and a subcommittee to finalize the application materials and logistics. Members agreed to: produce a short application (name, contact, drawing and description of design, parental consent language for minors), add box locations and dimensions to the application, arrange a town website posting and a dedicated email for submissions, and convene a subcommittee meeting in the coming week to finalize details and timelines.

Concerns and constraints
Board members emphasized avoiding the appearance of promoting particular businesses; they also flagged marketing as a recurring challenge in smaller communities and recommended targeted outreach to schools, senior centers and local groups to encourage submissions.

What’s next
Organizers will refine the information sheet and application, confirm where to post it on the town website, and set up or verify the submission email. The board intends to finalize details at a subcommittee meeting next week and to aim for a community selection and painting period in late summer or early fall (members discussed targeting September for painting).","Members of the Grand Island Economic Development Advisory Board discussed a pilot program to paint three traffic/utility boxes around town, covering design, materials, selection and timeline. Organizers proposed a $200 honorarium per artist and estimated roughly $600 in materials for the initial run.","actionData","errors"]

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Grand Island board taps DECA intern to design unified community calendar

Grand Island committee advances painted utility‑box pilot, aims for three installations