The Coastal Resiliency Advisory Committee spent substantial time discussing public outreach and communications goals, including use of Article 10 funds for short videos, where to show them (social media snippets, Dreamland theater, ferry/steamship screens) and what audiences to target. Members emphasized the need to define a clear call to action and to use professionals to produce sustained messaging.

Why this matters: Committee members said public understanding of coastal risks and of what the committee and town are doing is essential to build long-term support for funding and policy actions. They debated whether outreach should target general awareness, homeowners, town staff and elected officials or specific audiences ahead of town meeting votes.

Discussion highlights and recommendations

- Outreach funding and purpose: Leah told the group that Article 10 coastal-resiliency planning funds could be used for videos and outreach and reminded members that CRAC is the champion for recommendation 1-1 in the coastal resiliency plan — community outreach and property resiliency. Members suggested multiple formats: short social media clips, 30–60 second Dreamland spots and a more general "what is coastal resiliency" piece to build baseline awareness.

- Audience and call to action: Members repeatedly asked "what do we want the public to do?" before committing to specific content. Gary Beller emphasized the need for a concrete ask (for example, vote support at Town Meeting or requests to engage with specific town processes). Several members proposed a phased approach: general awareness now, targeted calls to action before specific votes or projects later.

- Use of local data in outreach: Committee members urged using locally developed data in any outreach. Joanna Roche and others pointed to Chuck Larson’s tide-gauge analysis as an example of locally relevant evidence that had not been widely disseminated beyond the committee and staff. Leah said she would follow up with Chuck about the status of a scientific paper and noted the presentation is recorded and in the meeting packet.

- Production approach: Members recommended hiring professionals to ensure consistent messaging and to produce multiple cutdowns (longer explanatory pieces and shorter social-media-friendly clips). Leah said the Article 10 funds do not expire and could support a multi-part campaign.

- Measurement: Hillary Hedges Rayport suggested pre- and post-campaign polling to measure awareness and to strengthen any follow-up reporting; several members supported the idea to quantify impact.

Decisions and next steps

- No formal vote was taken; members asked staff to draft a short work plan with proposed audiences, goals, sample messages and an estimated budget so the committee can review and prioritize options at a future meeting.

- Staff (Leah) will contact Acclamy/Ava (communications contractor mentioned in the meeting) to clarify the status of member interviews and to collect any outstanding materials and will follow up with Chuck Larson about sharing local tide-gauge data and any forthcoming publications.