Lake Community Action Agency reports repairs to 12 Leesburg homes, delivered under $300,000 grant

Derek Blue, a representative of Lake Community Action Agency, told the Leesburg City Commission on Feb. 10 that his organization completed rehabilitation work on 12 owner‑occupied homes in the city’s CRA district using a mix of city funds and agency contributions.

Blue said the city allocated $300,000 for the program; Lake Community Action Agency completed the work at $293,618 and averaged $20,468.17 per home. The program’s stated priorities were to correct health and safety hazards, improve energy efficiency and, last, address cosmetic issues.

The work included roof replacements where active leaks existed, replacement of inefficient HVAC equipment (Blue said older 10–11 SEER units were replaced with 16 SEER systems), insulation upgrades (to about R‑40 in some houses), lead testing in some cases, plumbing and kitchen repairs, bathroom gut‑outs with accessibility improvements, door and security upgrades, added exterior lighting and landscaping. Blue said the agency requires contractor warranties for at least one year and provides occupant training on new HVAC equipment.

Why it matters: agency representatives said the work reduced home energy burdens for low‑income households and addressed indoor air quality issues that contributors linked to residents’ breathing problems. Blue said the agency partners with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Energy on health, safety and energy‑efficiency assessments and that the organization invested approximately $100,000 of its own materials and labor to leverage the city funds.

Blue thanked Commissioner Allison Berry and City staff—he named “Al,” Sandra Wilson and the building and zoning department—for coordinating permitting and outreach. He said the commission and staff helped the project move through permitting and CRA processes.

Blue read a letter from Dorothy Jackson, a homeowner who received work on her home at 2207 Waitman Avenue. Jackson’s letter, included in the project's record and read aloud at the meeting, thanked the city and Lake Community Action Agency for restoring her house; Blue told commissioners Jackson died a few weeks after writing the letter but was able to “sit in her house and enjoy the upgrades” before she passed.

Public‑facing details and process: Blue said the program used a standardized pricing system to limit the number of separate trade vendors entering a single home and to control costs; he said the program prioritized local contractors where possible and invited local trade firms to register at lakecaa.org. He also said the program must meet the limits of the original agreement: the maximum per‑home grant under the contract was $25,000.

No formal action was taken by the commission during Blue’s presentation; the item was a presentation to the commission rather than an agenda vote. Blue answered questions and offered his cellphone number to staff for follow‑up.

Ending: Commissioners later thanked the agency for the presentation. Commissioner Berry noted the program’s neighborhood impact and said she would follow up to support phase two or similar projects in the CRA district.