Panel members spent substantial time discussing town identity, branding, marketing capacity and how to find grant funding to support those initiatives.

Members described three related priorities: (1) establish a clear town brand and logo as a foundation for marketing; (2) create an accessible public events calendar and improve the town website so residents easily find board rosters and meeting agendas; and (3) identify grant opportunities and, if feasible, hire a part‑time marketing/planning consultant or use a consultant contract to provide shared services across advisory boards.

Participants described previous work: a market-analysis project funded in part with a grant that had a 50/50 match (the meeting referenced “up to $15,000 with a 50/50 match” as a past example). Members proposed asking the town’s grant-writer or contracted grant services to search for state/federal programs that might fund branding, marketing or an events platform (examples mentioned: tourism-related programs under state economic development or Department of State). One board member volunteered to draft an email requesting the grant-writer research funding opportunities and said she would share the draft with the panel before sending to staff.

The group also discussed operational questions: who will maintain a calendar or app, whether the town website contractor can enable user-submitted calendar entries (with town approval before publishing), and whether an internship tied to a local college might provide day-to-day maintenance. Members noted the town’s current website content and board rosters are sometimes out of date and asked staff to confirm whether departments maintain their own pages and what level of access volunteers could have.

No formal vote was taken; members agreed to draft a request for the grant-writer to research grants and for staff to investigate website/calendar capabilities and potential internship models.