The Newtown Prevention Council approved funding and plans at its Thursday, January 21, meeting for a design contest for a “traveling billboard” that will decorate a recently purchased town truck that will be, primarily, used by the Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard.

Newtown Prevention Council Co-Chairs Judy Blanchard and Donna Culbert met with Legislative Council member Neil Chaudhary earlier in the day and he presented the opportunity for the Prevention Council to sponsor the design for the truck.

“[Dr Chaudhary] has worked on forming some interest on using that truck as a moving billboard,” said Ms Blanchard.

First Selectman Pat Llodra said the truck was purchased with money from a special revenue account created with “undesignated” donations following the 12/14 tragedy. The NHS Band Parents Corps also contributed to the purchase of the truck, according to Mrs Llodra.

“It’s a town of Newtown vehicle, so the town owns it,” Mrs Llodra explained for the Prevention Council. “The primary users will be the band parents, but they have six or seven events a year… so it would also be for any other student group that wants to use that vehicle.”

The truck, the first selectman continued, will also be “very visible” while parked on Fairfield Hills property when not in use.

“The opportunity that we have been presented with,” Ms Blanchard said, “is if we would be willing to be the funding source to create really a traveling billboard.”

Ms Culbert said the concept of how the messages on the truck will be generated is “early.”

“We’re looking at how we are going to develop those messages,” said Ms Culbert, adding may be a contest for different pieces of the messages and images.

“A large truck gives us some big space,” Ms Culbert continued.

One message, Ms Culbert said, may be about impaired driving and another may be about distracted driving.

“It would be a collective effort within the community,” Ms Culbert said, adding the Prevention Council would give that effort “flight” instead of “driving” it.

Mrs Llodra also said Dr Chaudhary’s company works on safety research as well as protocol to boost traffic safety in the state.

“So he is very connected with the [Department of Transportation] at the policy level. So his idea was to create a wrap for this van that would help to promote positive messages… particularly targeted at youth,” said Mrs Llodra. “It’s from his clinical practice that he brings this message forward.”

Ms Blanchard said “some kind of student contest” would be completed this year to get the truck decorated as soon as possible.

“We would be one of the partners in the collaborative effort to do this, but significantly we would be the financial partner,” said Ms Blanchard.

After the Prevention Council members discussed the effort, Ms Blanchard noted the consensus was that the effort is something the council would like to support. She also noted the cost for the “billboard” decoration would be roughly $1,500 and $3,000.

A committee will be formed to oversee the design of the competition.

“I think this is going to be an exciting project to work on,” Ms Blanchard said.

The Prevention Council also spent a portion of its meeting focusing on how it needs to bolster its membership from different sectors of the community. Ms Blanchard and Ms Culbert spoke about how the council will continue its focus over the next few meetings to boost its community representation.

The council’s next meeting is March 17.