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CARVER HEIGHTS / MONTCLAIR AREA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
(CRA)
MEETING
AGENDA
MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026 5:00 PM
1. CALL TO ORDER
INVOCATION
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A. Regular meeting held September 22, 2025
3. DISCUSSION ITEM:
A. Future Goals for the CRA
4. ROLL CALL:
5. ADJOURN:
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY
OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE HUMAN RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT, ADA COORDINATOR, AT 728-9740, 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF
THE MEETING.
F.S.S. 286.0105 "If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Commission with
respect to any matter considered at this meeting, they will need a record of the
proceedings, and that for such purpose they may need to ensure that a verbatim record of
the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the
appeal is to be based." The City of Leesburg does not provide this verbatim record.

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CARVER HEIGHTS/MONTCLAIR AREA CRA AGENDA MINUTES
CITY HALL, 501 W MEADOW STREET
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 5:00 PM
1. CALL TO ORDER
The City of Leesburg, Carver Heights Montclair Area Community Redevelopment Agency held a regular
meeting on Monday, September 22, 2025, at Leesburg City Hall. Chairperson Reisman called the
meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. with the following members present:
Commissioner Robert Alderman
Commissioner Allyson Berry
Commissioner Jimmy Burry
Commissioner Jay Connell
Commissioner Theresa Conner
Commissioner Mike Pederson
Chairperson Alan Reisman
Also present were City Manager (CM) Al Minner, City Clerk (CC) J. Andi Purvis, City Attorney (CA)
Grant Watson, Deputy City Clerk (DCC) Anna Rottermond, the news media, and others.
INVOCATION
Chairperson Reisman administered the invocation and the pledge of allegiance.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A. Regular meeting held September 11, 2025
Commissioner Pederson made a motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of September 11, 2025,
and Commissioner Burry seconded the motion.
Chairperson Reisman asked if there were any comments. There were none.
The roll call vote was:
Commissioner Pederson Yes
Commissioner Berry Yes
Commissioner Conner Yes
Commissioner Alderman Yes
Commissioner Connell Yes
Commissioner Burry Yes

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Chairperson Reisman Yes
Seven yeas, no nays, the Commission approved the meeting minutes as submitted.
3. RESOLUTIONS:
A. Resolution of the Carver Heights/Montclair Area Community Redevelopment
Agency of the City of Leesburg, Florida, approving Home Improvement Grant
Award Agreements for three (3) recipients in the Carver Heights/Montclair Area
Community Redevelopment Agency, and rescinding one (1) grant application
previously awarded; and providing an effective date.
ADOPTED RESOLUTION 116
Commissioner Pederson introduced the resolution to be read by title only. CC Purvis read the resolution
by title only.
Commissioner Pederson made a motion to adopt the resolution and Commissioner Burry seconded the
motion.
Chairperson Reisman requested comments from the Commission and the audience.
Commissioner Conner wanted to know who the three recipients were that were added. Commissioner
Berry indicated that the information was included in the packet. CM Minner said they were highlighted
in green in the packet, but he would refer to them by their last name and address. Mitchum of 2200
Mispah Avenue, Currington of 2114 Woodlawn, and Young of 2310 Olivet. They would all receive the
maximum award. Commissioner Berry inquired if they were added after the fact. CM Minner
responded that they were added after the body approved the FY 25 funding requests. However, there was
money left over, so these grant awards would be covered in the FY 25 budget. Chairperson Reisman
asked if there were any further comments. There were none.
The roll call vote was:
Commissioner Berry Yes
Commissioner Conner Yes
Commissioner Alderman Yes
Commissioner Connell Yes
Commissioner Burry Yes
Commissioner Pederson Yes
Chairperson Reisman Yes
Seven yeas, no nays, the Commission adopted the resolution.
4. ROLL CALL:
Commissioner Pederson had no comment.
Commissioner Berry explained that at the last meeting she was asked to provide further information
about the after-school/summer program she was interested in proposing for district one, which would be

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in the Carver Heights Montclair Area CRA. At the last meeting, the Chairperson asked that she provide
further information about the plan, which was distributed. It was self-explanatory, and it could be
detailed further, but she gave a breakout as far as the budget and the dollar amounts. She would like to
introduce more arts, math, reading, and civics. So, obviously, language arts, English, math, and civics.
She believed it would be a great idea and an enhancement for them to improve their skill sets over the
summer. That way, hopefully, this could continue as an after-school function. She does have teachers
willing to volunteer. She would like to introduce this to churches because the Boys and Girls Club
already has a program. She wanted to correct a statement she previously made, because she said she did
her research on this in 2023 and 2024 and that was when she received feedback from constituents in the
area, including the children and their parents. At that time, they were not willing to participate with the
Boys and Girls Club. However, from what she understands now, during the school year, the Boys and
Girls Club do have a great number of children attending. Nevertheless, they have different goals from
what she was presenting, as well as the age group she was looking at. She would like this to be offered to
fifth, sixth, and seventh graders. This would have different goals, and a different outcome, by introducing
children to different arts, enhancing their life skills, as well as teaching them to be more responsible in
their community, and learning more about it. This program would be a plus for getting kids off the streets
and introducing them to other areas.
Commissioner Burry asked about the allocation of $150,000. How would this program be administered?
Would it be a city function or a CRA function? Who would be administering the program? He was trying
to figure out how this would work. Does the CRA hire someone to be in charge of the program?
Commissioner Berry answered that her plans were to have one person oversee the program. It would be
someone with an educational background, like a teacher. From there, they would use CRA funding to
orchestrate the program based on the curriculum to bring in math, English, and civic teachers. She would
also like to bring in someone to have a choir. The person she was looking at was a choir director, and she
was also interested in a dance program. She would like to bring in families, so they could learn and be
more responsible as far as to what is going on. It would be like a mentorship program. It would not only
be for the children, but the parents too, to let them know how important it is for them to attend school
meetings so they can understand what is going on and know what is expected from them. They would be
well-balanced with an understanding of the curriculum. She based the idea on what she thought was a
great experience for most people when the county used to offer summer programs, which included arts
and crafts, field trips, as well as learning skills. She believed this to be a very effective program. The
children would definitely be involved, and they would meet other kids they may not know. Plus, they
would have the enrichment piece. They could learn about something that they may be interested in, but
have never had the opportunity to do so. They could express and learn the true dynamics of being a
dancer or a singer. They would get the big picture of how to apply their talent. Commissioner Burry
inquired about the host sites. Are they all churches in the CRA block? Commissioner Berry replied yes,
they were within the CRA block.
Commissioner Conner asked if they would be putting something out in the school system and the
church youth programs, so that people would be aware of the program. Commissioner Berry responded
definitely as far as marketing, but she would want to make sure the other commissioners were on board
first. Commissioner Pederson questioned if she was confident that there would be a number of students
who would want this type of programming. Commissioner Berry responded that she thought so. She
would like to have twenty-five kids for each grade level, between fifth and seventh grades.
Commissioner Pederson pointed out that he was previously on the Boys and Girls Club board, and he
thought this was what they did. He knows they are not the exact same programs, but this would be
competition. He wondered if there was a demand or a need for both. At the last meeting he stated that the
city spent a lot of money on the Boys and Girls Club facility. However, he has not kept up with it over
the last year or two. Nonetheless, he thought they were handling all these programs. He thought they
were doing a good job. If there was a need for this on top of the Boys and Girls Club, then he would be
fine with it. Commissioner Berry clarified that she did not want to say the Boys and Girls Club was not

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doing a good job, but this would add to it. This would have more activities to allow talent to be
discovered or enhanced. Commissioner Pederson wanted to know if the Boys and Girls Club was full or
if there was a way to work together so they could all utilize that facility? Commissioner Berry stated
that would be ideal. However, from her meeting with them, which was some time ago, that was not in
their plan. The Boys and Girls Club was interested in presenting a grant to title one schools to bring
opportunities for kids to come through. At that time, they were looking for scholarships to be given using
CRA funds. Commissioner Pederson said he remembered approving that grant money. Commissioner
Berry continued to say that no kids took advantage of that program.
Chairperson Reisman said he understands her intent, and he could tell that her heart was behind this.
However, he was a little leery about starting a new program when we had already partnered with the
Boys and Girls Club. If the Boys and Girls Club is not meeting the city's desires, then as a city or as a
city commission, we need to step forward a little stronger so they know what we are looking for. Also, he
did not want to step on the Lake County School Board's toes, but would these certified teachers be and
are they already in the school system? Commissioner Berry answered yes. Chairperson Reisman
pointed out that he had a lot more questions regarding oversight and accountability. He understands the
intent behind it, but we already have a program in place, and the city needs to exhaust all the options
before moving to another option. Commissioner Berry said this was another option that was not being
offered through the Boys and Girls Club. Even though she did not talk to every single kid, the feedback
she received was that they were bored, and they were not interested in going to the Boys and Girls Club.
Also, if the kids did not do sports or cheer, there were no other options. Chairperson Reisman added
that he has talked to a couple of principles, not about this, but about doing after-school programs and
things like that, and they cannot get the kids to stay. The kids do not want to stay on campus to do any
extracurricular activities, sports, or anything like that. He would like to see a market study or a poll done
before spending $150,000 on this. He would want to actually see that there was a need for the
kids. Commissioner Berry said her thoughts were to start with a summer program and if the kids really
enjoyed it, they could continue with the after-school program. However, she was basing it on the fact that
most kids do not do what they need to do over the summer. They fall behind, and they are not at the
levels that they should be. This would be another enhancement to push them through.
Chairperson Reisman wanted to know what the liability would be for funding this. Could this open the
city up to any type of potential liability? If a kid gets hurt, they could sue the church, and they could sue
us, so we would have lawsuits. Commissioner Berry indicated that it could happen anyway. That could
happen at the Boys and Girls Club and churches. However, she has not gone down that lane.
Commissioner Pederson said he would turn to the city attorney on that. It would probably have to go
through a nonprofit, a new entity, just to limit the liability. Chairperson Reisman wanted to know if she
was looking to make a motion tonight. Commissioner Berry said they were supposed to discuss this
further, but her intent was to have a vote. CA Watson explained that the city was protected to some
extent by sovereign immunity, but that caps liability pretty high. There could be a chance, but it really
depended on how the program was structured. The more involvement the city has with the program, that
opens the city to more exposure. If the city was just providing funding, that would be better because it
would be harder to tag any liability to the city when it was just funding. If the city/CRA was controlling
and operating the program, then there would certainly be a chance for exposure. Commissioner Berry
wanted to know if this program would need to be focused on through the CRA, and would the volunteers
need to be from within the district? She was not referring to the teaching skill set, but the other skills that
were not the academic piece. CA Watson responded that he was not sure as far as the setting of the
program, and what the best structure would be. However, in terms of liability and the city being exposed,
the more involvement the city has with operating a program, the better the chances are for that to happen.
Again, if the city was just providing funding to a nonprofit or another organization, there would not be as
much exposure. Commissioner Berry said she thought it would be a plus for getting kids out of the
house. It would help keep them out of mischievousness and other things that could cause or lead up to
bigger problems later. It would give them an opportunity to be ready for high school.

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Chairperson Reisman asked if there were any other commission comments. There were none. He asked
if she was looking for a vote on this tonight. Commissioner Berry answered that she wanted to have this
added in the budget for FY 26. CM Minner stated that from the budget discussion they had at the last
meeting of the CRA, there were two items that Commissioner Berry brought up for consideration. The
first one was for consulting fees to update the CRA master plan, and that request was for $150,000. Then
she had the educational program that we were just talking about and that was for $150,000. There are
revenues available of $163,670 in the reserves for FY 26, plus unallocated monies. That means they have
about $164,000 to spend from new monies coming in for FY 26, and they have $280,000 in the reserve
account. So, between those two numbers there is enough to cover both. From a staff level, there would be
two motions needed from this body and then, administratively, we would deal with it. There would be a
motion for the master plan update and a vote on the educational concept. Commissioner Berry wanted
to know if what she was asking for made sense for the community. Commissioner Pederson said he has
heard all the comments, and he agrees they need to slow down the after-school program by a month or
two. We have enough money unallocated, and we are not spending that money elsewhere. We have
plenty of money to do the program, but we do not have to approve it tonight. He would encourage more
dialogue with Boys and Girls Club. He was not saying to kick the can until next year, but they need to
kick it down the road for the next month or two. However, he would support the master plan if she
wanted to do that now. Commissioner Berry inquired if they were not doing it now, would they still
have the funding for the program later? CM Minner explained that they have about $280,000 plus
$13,000 to come back to. Commissioner Berry said with the after-school program she was considering
October through May and then the summer program would be from June through August. Commissioner
Burry stated that he supports the idea of what she was trying to do. However, he thinks it is very
important in the proposal to have benchmarks. It is very important to make sure that we see that the data
is working in the future. He was willing to try it, but we have got to meet the benchmarks.
Commissioner Berry agreed. She had to start with something to present it for commission approval. If
she was not expressing herself or speaking enough for them to actually get the picture, maybe they
should read it for themselves. That way they could see where she was coming from. Chairperson
Reisman pointed out that he did see her intent. Commissioner Pederson mentioned that time would go
by fast, and she should focus on the summer program first. She would need to get a plan together to get it
going.
Commissioner Berry made a motion to add the Master Plan update to the Carver Heights Montclair Area
Community Development Agency for $150,000 in the FY 2026 budget and Commissioner Pederson
seconded the motion.
Mayor Reisman asked if there were any other comments. There were none.
The roll call vote was:
Commissioner Conner Yes
Commissioner Alderman Yes
Commissioner Connell Yes
Commissioner Burry Yes
Commissioner Pederson Yes
Commissioner Berry Yes
Chairperson Reisman Yes
Seven yeas, no nays, the Commission approved the motion.
Commissioner Berry made a motion to accept the proposal for funding the after-school and summer

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enrichment program for the budget year of 2026. Mayor Reisman asked if there was a second to the
motion. There was none. The motion failed.
Commissioner Conner had no further comment.
Commissioner Alderman had no comment this evening.
Commissioner Connell had no comment.
Commissioner Burry had nothing to comment on.
Chairperson Reisman had no further comment.
5. ADJOURN:
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY
OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE HUMAN RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT, ADA COORDINATOR, AT 728-9740, 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF
THE MEETING.
F.S.S. 286.0105 "If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Commission with
respect to any matter considered at this meeting, they will need a record of the
proceedings, and that for such purpose they may need to ensure that a verbatim record of
the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the
appeal is to be based." The City of Leesburg does not provide this verbatim record.
With a motion by Commissioner Burry and a second by Commissioner Berry, the meeting adjourned at
5:24 pm.

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City of Leesburg
Lake Front City
Agenda Memorandum
Item No: 3.A.
Meeting Date: January 12, 2026
From: Al Minner, (City Manager)
Subject: Future Goals for the CRA
Staff Recommendation:
At the request of Mayor Berry, the purpose of this meeting is to meet publicly to discuss future goals for
the Carver Heights Montclair Area Community Redevelopment Agency.
Analysis:
Procurement Analysis:
Options:
Fiscal Impact: