Veterans advisory board opts for signs, shared fair presence and media outreach instead of full booth

The San Juan County Veterans Advisory Board voted informally to pursue low-cost outreach options — small informational signs, targeted placement at community hubs and a possible shared county booth at the county fair — instead of committing to a full four-day fair booth.

The board’s vice chair (S4) said he would draft sign wording and obtain price estimates from Printonics for multiple small signs to place at American Legion posts, senior centers and island markets. "I could get a price from Printonics to do up a little board kinda like we did for the fair that showed what we spend in helping people, but make it with our contact information," S4 said.

Why it matters: members said the traditional fair booth required many volunteer hours and often reached the same small group each year. "It's a lot of effort... Are we getting something out of it? Is there a better avenue for us to do community outreach," S1 asked, framing the discussion around return on taxpayer dollars.

Board members proposed several steps: S4 will draft verbiage and get estimates, circulate the wording electronically for approval, and consider printing roughly 4–10 signs to place at Legion halls, community centers and island markets. S7 said a local online reporter might run a free community spotlight, which the board would pursue as a cost-free outreach option.

"I'm happy to put whatever signage up in both of those spots," S5 said, volunteering to place signs at the Family Resource Center and other hubs on his island.

Details and next steps: members confirmed the San Juan County fair runs Aug. 13–16 and recalled a past booth fee of about $450. The vice chair emphasized smaller signs would likely cost less than a full fair booth; S7 said Printonics could bill the county directly if the board approves. The vice chair will present wording and estimates at a future meeting for formal approval.

The board also discussed using the county website and social media to reach family members who may contact the board on behalf of veterans, and agreed to re-evaluate the outreach plan after the sign wording and estimates are available.