Frequently Asked Questions — Answers have been compiled by Village residents
- Why do people choose Academy Village?
- Who lives at Academy Village?
- Is the Village a congenial choice for singles?
- What meals are available in the Academy Café?
- What services does the Village offer?
1. Why do people choose Academy Village? The whole answer to that question would be as diverse as our nearly 200 residents, but there are some large common threads:
The Setting: We love being steeped in natural beauty at the foot of the Rincon range, beneath wide-open skies with incredible stars and sunsets and vistas in every direction. We love the sensitive site planning with homes built in clusters that help us know our closest neighbors. And we love walking the nature trails that run through the Village, watching birds and wildlife up close.
The Homes: We love that our houses are designed with extra-tall windows that heighten the scenery and extra-thick walls that help keep us cool. We love that there are several floor plans in several sizes and appreciate having a choice between single family homes on ample lots or townhomes that are clustered and sited for views.
The Spirit: We love the people and the almost-instant sense of community. We enjoy shaping our future for ourselves and appreciate the “can do” spirit of our groups and committees, whether hosting an artist’s reception, crafting tiles by hand for the Community Center courtyard, booking a band for our next outdoor party, teaming up to evaluate solar vendors, or brainstorming possibilities for community gardening.
The Stimulation: We especially love the stimulation that comes from our shared interests in lifelong engagement, from arts to academics to fitness. We love how often leading experts appear at ASA lectures and we love having access to University of Arizona libraries. We also love how many fine musicians play at our weekly concerts, from chamber music to bluegrass and jazz. And we have fun on many field trips with “insider tours,” from Biosphere 2, to museums of art and history, to starry nights with astronomers on Kitt Peak.
The Vitality: We love that regular exercise is as easy and pleasant as walking the Village loop at dawn or sunset, or as challenging as yoga class or weight machines or Pilates on site. Our tennis players love their regular games on our own home court with the same stunning view that our swimmers enjoy from the pool, our golfers appreciate the lovely public course only five minutes away, and our hikers think it is great to live almost next door to Saguaro National Park.
The Town: We love living in a University town brimming with art and culture where friendly locals help everyone feel at home. It makes it easier to move here and hit the ground running. We also love how Villagers team to volunteer and mentor in the larger community, from arts and music to science and literature. And we love how much they relish their giving back. That kind of synergy is especially magnetic.
In short, there are so many reasons to love living in this community that we are sure you will love it too.
2. Who lives at Academy Village? Ages: The Village was designed to be a broad-spectrum retirement community, equally comfortable for those retired and those still working at any age from 55 to 90-plus. This is exactly how it has evolved. As of early 2010, we had a similar number of residents in each age tier from 55- 65, 65-75, and those over 75.
Interests: The Village was conceived in the 1990s when our neighbor, Henry Koffler, was still president of the University of Arizona. He wished to create a community that would encourage lifelong learning in a lovely natural setting. He began by approaching academic friends and colleagues, but it did not take long for the concept to catch on far beyond the original cadre of retiring faculty. Today, the Village is home to residents from a wide range of regions and interests. In addition to scholars, scientists, and former faculty, there are artists and entrepreneurs, engineers and educators, business and financial analysts, plus doctors, nurses, lawyers, and former judges, and dozens more with home-centered careers focused on family. Their hobbies and interests are just as diverse, from Renaissance music to poetry, foreign languages to painting, woodworking to electronics, singing, dancing and jewelry-making to motorcycles, cars and airplanes.
Geography: Our geography is as diverse as our ages and interests. Many longtime Tucsonans live here along with a sizeable group of West Coast transplants and several from the mountain states, while a substantial number of Villagers recently hail from the East Coast and the Midwest. We also have a large international contingent with countries of origin that include Canada, France, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, India, China, Indonesia, and Trinidad.
Numbers: As of mid-2009, Academy Village had 114 occupied homes and about 180 residents. When build-out is complete there will be 264 homes and 400-plus occupants.
Occupancy: The Village is a comfortable choice for both full- and part-time residents. About two-thirds of the current homeowners are year-round residents. The remaining third divide the year between the Village and homes elsewhere.
3. Is the Village a congenial choice for singles? Nearly a third of the current residents are single men and women who enjoy the welcoming sense of community and the ease of connecting with neighbors. An active social calendar includes weekly “happy hour” events, Monday night movies, meals with open seating in the Academy Café, special gourmet dinners, and holiday parties.
4. What meals are available in the Academy Café? The Academy Café currently offers lunch on Monday through Friday; a buffet dinner on Sunday; a light supper on Monday nights, and dinner on Wednesdays with a special entrée. Take-out or home-delivery dinners are available weekdays. The Café also caters special events, such as receptions; wine tasting dinners, and private parties. A selection of wines and beer are also available with meals. Café patronage is entirely voluntary, but many residents make a financial commitment in advance and draw down on that credit during the month.
5. What services does the Village offer? A. The Academy Village Homeowner’s Association (AVHOA) maintains our common facilities and sponsors or facilitates a number of resident services, including: • A Community Center with meeting rooms, a kitchen and dining room, an arts and crafts room, art gallery, the “Arizona Room” for social gatherings • A full-time manager and receptionist, a maintenance man, and a security guard on evenings and weekends • A heated swimming pool and spa • A fully-equipped fitness center • An on-site wellness center staffed by an RN and a home health aide • A varied program of free fitness classes • Maintenance of community landscaping and streets • Wireless Internet access throughout the community buildings • Weekly trash and recycling pickup
B. All Villagers aged 60 and older are also members of the Arizona Senior Academy (ASA). Residents under 60 are welcome to join as well. Member benefits include: • A rich menu of free lectures and concerts on site weekly from expert presenters and highly skilled performers (click for a sampler of past events) • Use of the Academy building (right), including an auditorium, library, seminar rooms, and a computer room with multiple workstations (both Mac and PC) • Use of a copier and fax machine • Preferred seating at public ASA events • Audio-visual equipment, including digital projector, for lectures and classes • Full-time staff responsible for bookings and program support
