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<br />From previous page
<br />Today, each buyer of a Ross-
<br />moor property pays a $7,000 one-
<br />time fee to the foundation, an
<br />amount that helps underwrite
<br />capital costs. Part of all residents'
<br />monthly dues also goes to the
<br />foundation, which employs more
<br />than 200 staff who provide servic-
<br />es to residents.
<br />Leisurely world
<br />Behind the gates of Rossmoor,
<br />residents often describe the com-
<br />munity asmore like a resort, albeit
<br />one with a packed agenda o[ activ-
<br />ities.From the pages of [he weekly
<br />Rossmoor News, one can find a
<br />list of more than 200 clubs and or-
<br />ganizations: Among them aze
<br />Grandparents [or Peace and (us-
<br />tice, which stages weekly protests
<br />outside the gates against the Iraq
<br />war; five poker clubs; a dozen
<br />bridge clubs; a group that discuss-
<br />es out-of-body experiences; an
<br />atheist and agnostic club; hiking
<br />groups and dozens more.
<br />Movies and live drama are
<br />scheduled almost every week. in a
<br />community theater; as are lec-
<br />tures, day trips and longer excur-
<br />sions. Volunteer opportunities
<br />abound, as do opportunities to
<br />help run the mutual corporations ~~
<br />and the Golden Rain Foundation.
<br />Foundation .President David
<br />Smith, a retired attorney who
<br />moved with his wife from Dan-
<br />vil]efive years ago, describes Ross-
<br />moor as aunique oasis that is only
<br />10 minutes from downtown Wal-
<br />nut Creek and a BART station. "[
<br />don't think you'll fmd anything
<br />like that anywhere else in the
<br />state," he said.
<br />Smith says he feels greater free-
<br />dom living in Rossmoor because
<br />he no longer has [o worry about
<br />the chores and minutiae that are
<br />part of individual home owner-
<br />ship. "My wife says that now that
<br />she's moved to Rossmoor she nags
<br />somebody else's husband;' he not-
<br />. ed:
<br />That life is serene is a recurring
<br />comment among the dozen or so
<br />residents who were "interviewed
<br />for this story. Indeed, the top three
<br />nuisances reported by residents
<br />are deer eating the expensive
<br />landscaped areas; wild geese de-
<br />positing their droppings on the
<br />golf courses and wild turkeys an-
<br />noying the locals; according to
<br />Evelyn Nielsen, a 33•year resident
<br />who has been selling properties
<br />for Rossmoor Realty for 30 of
<br />those years.
<br />Serenity does not, however,
<br />preclude political or social activ-
<br />ism, as is reflected by the diversity
<br />of clubs and organizations. Lor-
<br />raine Grawoig, president of Par-
<br />ents, Family and Friends of Lesbi-
<br />nas uevef feu u,~..~..,,~..o~,.:
<br />about heading the club, noting
<br />that there is also an established
<br />group of gay residents and a re-
<br />centlyformed organization of les-
<br />bians.
<br />Residents' dues also pay for a
<br />number of non-recreational ser-
<br />vices. Rossmoor has "a very busy"
<br />counseling service, staffed by
<br />three licensed clinical social
<br />workers, according to Priscilla Tu-
<br />dor, its coordinator. There aze no
<br />out-of-pocket costs for residents
<br />for any services, such as crisis in-
<br />tervention, home assessments,
<br />family consultations and long-
<br />term care planning, she said.
<br />Like any community, Ross-
<br />moor has had its share of civic dis-
<br />putes and arguments over its fu-
<br />ture direction. A current one, car-
<br />ried on mostly in the letters-to-
<br />the-editor section of the Rossmoor
<br />News, centers on whether the
<br />temperature of [he water in one
<br />community pool should be 92 de-
<br />grees or 88 degrees.
<br />Setting sights on Safeway
<br />Residents have also found they
<br />can influence events outside the
<br />gates: Stephanie Acker, a trans-
<br />plant hour Jupiter, Fla, led acam-
<br />paigncalled Toward a Better Safe-
<br />way, which pressured the local
<br />store [o upgrade its facilities as
<br />well as the quality and quantity of
<br />its food and merchandise.
<br />"It was so depressing to walk in-
<br />to,"she said of the Rossmoor store.
<br />`"They never had anything; the
<br />shelves were often empty and
<br />many items were out of date."
<br />One day when she was return-
<br />ing an item, she mentioned to an
<br />assistant stdre manager that many
<br />residents were extremely unhappy
<br />with [he store's offerings. "He said,
<br />`Oh, those people (in Rossmoor)
<br />don't have anything else to do.'
<br />"That made me so angry, I de-
<br />cided to do whatever it took to
<br />change things."
<br />Within weeks, more than 500
<br />residents had signed a petition
<br />and an organizing meeting was
<br />held. Once Acker and several sup-
<br />porters met with senior corporate
<br />officials, things changed quickly.
<br />Today, the store has a new manag-
<br />er; [he lighting is better; more and
<br />fresher food is on sale; and Safe-
<br />way is promising to rebuild the
<br />store in the next couple of years,
<br />she said.
<br />'Z think older people get under-
<br />estimated;' she said. "But here
<br />that are lots and lots of very inter-
<br />esting and smart people. I think
<br />we've come to realize that we can
<br />make a difference."
<br />Robert Hollis is an
<br />Orinda-based writer. Comment
<br />at realestate@sfchronicle:com
<br />MARK GOSTANTINI / Ip8l.l1lON,Gu
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