Leisure Village
By Michelle Knighknight@theacorn.com

When Caroline Pratt moved from Fresno to Camarillo's Leisure Village in 1982, it had just over 2,000 homes. Today the retirement community for people 55 and older has grown by 136 homes with between 3,000 and 3,500 residents.

Leisure Village residents own their single-story homes and through an association, the 415-acre gated community.

Pratt, 85, said residents keep active with 51 clubs and a host of recreational activities ranging from golf on an 18-hole course to gem and stone work in the lapidary room.

"It's just a very nice place to live, having been here for 25 years I can say that," said Pratt, chair of the village historical society. "The thing that I think is so unique about Leisure Village is . . . we're all very active people, not just in the village but in the community."

Leisure Village residents volunteer to serve on city and county boards and get involved with nonprofits and local schools, she said

"We're good neighbors and good voters," Pratt said.

City Council member Kevin Kildee said village residents tend to stay informed and active on county and state issues. They also contribute to the city's economy because they shop locally, he said.

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers PRECIOUS TIME- Ezra Levy of Leisure Village enjoys working with stones in the lapidary room alongside his grandson Jordan Michael, 6, of Santa Rosa.

"They make our city what it is, to a certain extent," Kildee said. "They've always been very giving people . . . with their time."

Leisure Village sprang up on the edge of town in 1973, surrounded by fields of sugar beet. By the following year, 64 homes had been built. Ten years later, there were 2,136.

A five-member resident-elected board of directors sets the village's policies, operating procedures and budget. A general manager oversees a staff of about 100 security guards and landscape and office workers.

Last year, the village began installing a system of reclaimed water lines to serve common areas and the golf course. The longterm, underground project will help reduce residents' water bills and the village's dependence on imported water.