Meeting Minutes

Citra Improvement Society General Meeting Minutes 05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Citra Improvement Society General Meeting

(1 hr 27 mins)

CIS May Report & Workshop (1 hr 27 mins)

Opening: Welcome to the General Membership Meeting

Roll Call Present: Donald Barber, Joanne Brayton, Mary Carter, Mark Helzer, Wanda Lasher
Pledge and Prayer

Treasurer Mary Carter:

Treasurer shared April account status; noted April “hasn't closed yet,” but totals as of the last day of April were $7,316.48 across three accounts.
Historical building account: only $30.80 activity (Duke Energy monthly charge); ending balance reported as $4,256.05.
Regular/general account: beginning balance $2,370.07; Duke Energy $81.37; deposits $376 (Orange-A-Fair + Easter event) and ending balance $2,814.60.
Electronic payments account (kept separate to protect main accounts): beginning $27.92; deposits $97.01 (Square) and $120 (Zeffy—member fee + rental); ending $244.93.
Board approved, unanimously, a motion to accept the April treasurer’s report.

Board discussed upcoming insurance payments, with one due in June, and motion passed to authorize the treasurer to receive and pay the first June insurance payment out of the general fund account (the “higher” of the two insurance bills).
Clarification: the next insurance bill is expected to be paid from the Historic Museum account plus donations from Cemetery (as previously discussed in a workshop).

Director of Security and Maintenance Mark Helzer:

Mark reported things are “pretty good” overall.
Plan forming for a cleanup morning before mowing since grass is getting long; Saturday was floated as a possible day (dependent on availability of mowing help and weather).
TVs in the building: worked well recently (video sent to board but weren’t working during the meeting); church group reportedly uses them weekly without issues (likely user/process issue to figure out).
Storage need: recurring ask for a shed/storage unit to store items; after cleaning out the bank space for the reunion, some items are currently stored at Mark’s house.
Event equipment: current large tent is cumbersome (built “stick by stick,” covering worn/torn, 45–90 minutes with two people); group intends to price out easier pop-up tents.
New sign: Mark noted a new front sign is being explored; Joanne is providing spec sheets so Mark can review wiring/permitting needs.
Mark mentioned the upcoming High School Reunion on June 13th and ways to support the committee for organizing this event. A special mention for obtaining recording interviews of the folks attending to secure their stories and memories for our Historic Museum.

Secretary Joanne Brayton:

Minutes: no additions/changes; board approved April meeting minutes unanimously (noted they are posted on the website along with the Board Workshop 05/21/2026.)

Church group rental question: church group currently meets Wednesdays and Sundays and asked for a one-time additional full Sunday use.
Board decision: approved motion to charge an additional $10 for that one-time full-Sunday use (on top of their normal $10 per meeting), acknowledging the group has done substantial work for free.
Joanne noted she had already given the board the payment for another rental for next week Saturday (Brown).
Joanne suggested finding a way of recognizing members of our community in a way of celebrating with a story or feature on our webpage and Facebook accounts.

Public input workshop: goals, identity, and priorities

Speaker update: the owner of the Margaritaville tentatively agreed to be a speaker for the June meeting.
Workshop purpose: gather honest feedback via handouts and leave with one 30-day action, one 60-day event/action, and one 6-month goal for the community center.
Participants shared identity/values and preservation themes:
“Three words” examples included citrus trees, boom town / heritage / lost, rural / oranges / community, railroad, farms, and the white church on the corner.
What makes Citra different: small and peaceful, people help others in need, “on the highway and neglected by the county,” and being between Gainesville and Ocala; noted as economically depressed but with “most potential.”
Younger generations should know: Citra’s history, including that it “used to be bigger/more prosperous than Ocala.”
Center experience: people should feel welcome, friendly, excited, and able to get involved.
Suggestions for welcoming: more interactive activities, better recognition of first-time visitors, celebrating members (birthdays/anniversaries), and one comment to “get rid of the gavel” (chair acknowledged).
Discussion on participation drop-off: COVID effects, people “curious but not committed,” timing, and concerns about conflicts of opinions / people feeling shut down or given an “ugly reception.”
Ideas to attract younger families: music, earlier/lighter scheduling (difficulty for working parents at night), food options (e.g., pizza), and consideration of trying a Saturday/Sunday afternoon meeting in darker winter months.

Workshop decisions: 30/60/6-month selections

30-day action selected: Get a new sign.

Help identified for sign work: Mark and Joanne (already working on it); at least one additional attendee volunteered to help.
Permitting notes: if running electric, a permit may be needed; reminded to “call before you dig” (811); discussion included possibilities like communication cable/LED and whether solar is an option.

60-day action selected (by vote): Orange-A-Fair planning (planning only, not the event itself).

Volunteers to help Orange-A-Fair planning: Cindy, Joanne, and Donna.

6-month goal selected (by vote): Storage shed on the property (won 6–4 over museum improvements).

Shed help commitments: Possibly American Project; Donald also committed to help.

Closing notes:

Marketing need raised: request for stronger marketing capability/possibly a board member focused on marketing. Donald is proposing an application for open Board Member positions.
Facebook discussion: Joanne described responding to a commenter questioning “what’s in it for me” and alleging issues like misappropriation; she referenced improvements (mold/roof/grounds/events) and noted mentions in WUFT and Newsbreak.

Meeting adjourned at 7:46.

After adjournment: Mark mentioned having new recognition signs for people who bought poles, including Claire E Kansley, Mark W. Kansley, Daryl Hunt, Wanda Lasher, Five Star Pizza, So Farango Solution (name pronunciation uncertain), Waldron, Pioneer Soap, and Gary Cruz and Family; planned to mount these on poles out front.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Brayton

Citra Improvement Society Board Workshop 04/16 05/21/2026

Thu, May 21, 19:06 (1 hr 42 mins)

CIS Five-Year Plan Reset

Five-year vision and strategic refocus

Board re-centered on the original five-year master plan discussed in Dec 2024 and starting with the 2025 term.
Consensus to stay with the five-year plan; no amendments proposed at this time.
Long-term projects reiterated as targets: museum build-out, rail car/caboose, park replacement, pavilion, external bathrooms, new septic and well system, and clearing property.
Emphasis that workshops, agendas, and member direction should align with the master plan.

Facility use, rentals, and community programming

Interest in welcoming community-led classes (arts/crafts, crocheting/knitting club, tutoring/reading, adult classes), with CIS providing space/support but not serving as the program lead.
Idea raised to explore partnerships for adult/continuing education (reach out to Santa Fe and CF) due to lack of nearby campuses.
Church use model discussed as a template: church meets Wednesdays/Sundays, contributes $10 per visit and has donated significant labor (ceiling demo, floors, painting, yard work/cleanup) and installed wiring/splitter system for dual TVs.
Need identified to invoice the church consistently based on the original agreement; they have been meeting for months and no invoice has been sent.
Current rental rates noted: $100 for members and $150 for non-members; discussion about revisiting rates as upgrades increase value and costs.
Plan to consider changing rates aligned to fiscal year starting Oct 1, with membership input gathered at the general meeting; also discussed widening the member vs non-member rate gap.
Clarified approach for public-benefit classes/services: typically treated as CIS-sponsored/open-to-community rather than traditional rentals, possibly donation-based with liability waivers.
Suggestion to add a public-facing calendar/availability view on the website.

Noted operational constraint: more volunteers are needed to open/close the building as usage grows.

Funding, grants, donors, and sponsorship thinking

Strong preference expressed to prioritize donors and external fundraising over relying on membership to “raise the money.”
Grant work updates: grant efforts underway; county to file an FRDAP grant on behalf of CIS (meeting pending).
Challenge in grant applications: gathering quotes/data (portable restrooms, septic, etc.) to support submissions; membership had been asked to help pull data.
Joanne is attending a grant writing class (dates noted in early June) and expects to identify additional grant opportunities via nonprofit networks.
Sponsorship categories discussed as a future need (not yet established), targeting larger sponsors (examples named: Cone Beverage, Dacona Ice Cream, Advent Health, Toledo).
Sponsorship visibility ideas: banner placement on fencing; debate on visibility but agreement that the campus gets more traffic than expected (county workers/lunch stop-through).

Membership growth, outreach, and communications needs

Goal is active participation, not just attendance; brainstormed outreach tactics.
Potential outreach concepts: sponsor local baseball/softball teams (jersey branding), set up vendor-style table/canopy at tournaments, and distribute branded hand fans with meeting info.
Open house idea discussed to drive membership, host a forum for the two county commission seats; members to submit questions in advance; idea to pair with an open-house/potluck/“walking tacos.”
Polling place opportunity (Aug 18 and November): consider offering water/chairs outside (non-political, comply with distance rules; consult Supervisor of Elections) to engage voters.
Membership dues structure brainstormed; suggestion to keep it simple at $20/year.

Need to better define member benefits and voting rights; ideas included local business discounts/coupon-style benefits.
Website improvements needed to allow online membership signup/payment and a way to verify membership (document/ID/QR-code concept).
Two board gaps called out as priorities: Communications Director and Marketing Director; plan to create an application and advertise broadly (personal social media, CIS channels, website, Coffee News).

Operations, maintenance, museum/cemetery, and key dates

Adopt-a-Road cleanup date set: Sunday, Sept 20 at 2:00 PM (moved to align with Ocala Comic Con weekend idea).
Insurance payments: due in June and July; accounts total balance reported as $7,316.48 (with ~$4k historical and ~$2k general mentioned).
Agreed approach for insurance funding: pay larger policy from general fund and smaller from museum fund; cemetery contribution expected (about $500 last year) and can be applied to offset.
Sign/marquee: strong agreement a proper sign is needed; goal set to have a signed design/budget plan within 90 days.
Maintenance priorities: Mark to install post signs; storage building/unit identified as urgent need (space constraints; 10x16 preferred to avoid permits; larger sizes trigger permitting).
Museum constraints: museum can’t remain as a storage unit; plan to clear space; remaining museum windows not completed due to glass order error and breakage of two extra panes.
Museum goal set: complete the first exhibit (post office) within 12 months; budget target discussed (~$3,750) to cover overages.
Landscaping plan: need UF/Ag contact (“Mark”) to walk grounds and map long-term edible/native/citrus plantings; donors already willing to buy trees; one attendee offered organic pineapple orange saplings and grapefruit.
Partnership idea: build relationship with local blueberry operation; have CIS booth at Island Grove Blueberry Festival next year.
Cemetery: request to arrange meeting with cemetery board after reunion to discuss 20–30 year plan; also mentioned interest from individuals/foundations in headstone cleaning (noting there are parameters/best practices).
Events focus narrowed: Halloween trunk-or-treat confirmed; Easter egg hunt listed as “maybe”; Orange-A-Fair confirmed March 20, 2027 (promotion needs to begin now).
Halloween lead: attendee agreed to be point person with privacy constraints; CIS to provide access to events coordinator email and contact lists; budget to be proposed to board.
Thanksgiving: prior year meal served by a member/family; Mark to contact Cody to see if he will do it again.
June board meeting scheduled for June 18 at 7:00.
Speaker planning: June speaker confirmed (Margaritaville owner in Citra); outreach list built for future speakers including Foundation for Ocala (Lauren Diorio), 4-H, hospice, Marion County Senior Services, Fort King/Marion County museum contacts, Kiwanis, Marion County genealogical society, and Southeastern Youth Fair Board.
Rental application workflow clarified: rentals route through Joanne (Secretary) as point of contact; board quorum approval; Mary (Treasurer) handles payment/signatures; confirmation returns to Joanne to communicate back to renter; add Zeffy QR/payment link directly on the application.
Citra High School reunion logistics: event June 13 (10–2) with setup June 12 at 3 PM; Mark will open/close; request for help loading media to screens and documenting interviews; plan to contact historical society to document; Connie to contact Don directly.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Brayton

Suggested Action Items

Revisit and propose updated rental rates aligned to Oct 1 fiscal year; gather member input at the next general meeting.
Create and send invoice(s) to the church for agreed $10 per Wednesday/Sunday usage.
Recruit additional volunteers for building open/close coverage.
Develop applications and advertise for Communications Director and Marketing Director board positions.
Build website features for online membership registration/payment and membership verification; add a public events/availability calendar.
Set a 90-day deliverable for sign/marquee plan (design + budget) and then pursue funding/donors.
Pursue storage building/unit pricing/plan (likely 10x16 to avoid permitting) and create a donor/marketing packet.
Schedule UF/Ag grounds walk to produce a landscaping map/plan and publish plant list/quantities.
Confirm and execute Adopt-a-Road cleanup on Sunday, Sept 20 at 2:00 PM.
Finalize insurance payment plan (general pays larger policy; museum pays smaller; apply cemetery contribution appropriately) and prepare for June/July due dates.
Establish a 12-month museum goal to complete the first exhibit (post office) and align budget target.
Coordinate Halloween trunk-or-treat planning with the designated point person; provide contact lists and set an approved budget.
Have Mark contact Cody to confirm whether Thanksgiving meal will be hosted again.
Plan July county commission candidates forum; collect questions from members and structure timed responses.
Confirm reunion logistics (June 12 setup, June 13 event), coordinate flash drive/media for TVs, and arrange video documentation/interviews.
Clarify and document rental application workflow; add Zeffy QR/payment details to the application.
Arrange post-reunion meeting with cemetery board to discuss long-term planning.