Clayton Clark retires after 36-year career; Luis Duenas promoted

By Mike Wood

Staff writer

Monday, July 7 (8:30 a.m.): It’s a time of managerial change within Rossmoor Property Management building maintenance.

Senior Building Maintenance Manager Clayton Clark is retiring after nearly 36 years in Rossmoor. His final day is July 10. Luis Duenas, a 16-year veteran of Rossmoor and most recently carpenter foreman, has been promoted to building maintenance manager.

These changes were detailed by Jeroen Wright, RPM director, in a June 6 announcement.

Senior Building Maintenance Manager Rick West has assumed Clark’s Mutual responsibilities, which include Third Mutual and five newer Mutuals.

Duenas has taken responsibility for West’s previous Mutuals, including Fourth Mutual and 13 others. Building Maintenance managers Dave Peakes (First Mutual) and Eric Howard (Second Mutual) continue in their roles.

“Luis easily steps, and does not leap, into the Building Maintenance manager role with a deep understanding of both the technical and human aspects of facilities management after 16 years of hands-on experience as a RWC lead union carpenter foreman,” Wright said.

Clark was honored at a June party at Dollar Picnic Grounds. He and his wife, Deanna, who retired in January as administrative assistant with the Rossmoor News, have moved to Folsom to be closer to their grandkids.

“With over three decades of dedicated service, Clayton has been more than just a Building Maintenance manager – he has been a cornerstone of the community,” Wright said. “His unwavering commitment to safety, functionality and aesthetics has ensured that every space he touched became a place where people could thrive.”

Both Clark and Duenas note how rewarding it is to hear positive feedback from residents on their maintenance work.

“Most of the residents really appreciate what you are doing, and they are happy you are doing it,” Duenas said. “It is a warm place to work.”

There are nuances in ways homes were built here that those in building maintenance are versed in. There can be subtle differences within a development, Duenas noted, because different crews could have been involved in building those manors. That’s where teamwork and sharing of institutional knowledge are so beneficial, said Duenas, who began working here in 2009.

Duenas’ promotion is a testament to his dedication, Wright said.

“Luis’ proven leadership, problem-solving skills and commitment to craftsmanship make him uniquely equipped to guide teams, manage complex projects, and uphold the highest standards of safety and quality,” Wright said. “He brings with him a strong foundation of trust, respect and institutional knowledge that will continue to benefit the organization and the community it serves.”

For Duenas, this line of work is in his blood. Growing up around his father, a contractor who worked in Rossmoor regularly, instilled similar interests in Duenas.

“When you are doing something that you love, it doesn’t feel like work,” Duenas said.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Clark came to work here in December 1989. It was quite a change of scenery.

“I went from a nuclear-powered submarine to Rossmoor,” Clark said.

He immediately stepped into important projects here. The Loma Prieta earthquake had struck two months earlier, and Rossmoor was not spared from damage. Clark recalled working on installing bolts that secured beams in Hillside buildings impacted by the quake.

It was the start of many significant tasks, such as working on the first irrigation project on the golf course.

“It was a great adventure; I got my contractor’s license, and I got my engineering license,” he said.

His early days in Rossmoor predated the community being built out. “There was no Eagle Ridge, no Horsemans Canyon,” said Clark, who can rattle off tales of Rossmoor’s metamorphosis, such as the how the pickleball courts along Rossmoor Parkway were once being a landscape storage area for plants, and that the bocce courts at Sportsmen’s Park used to be the site of a fly-casting pond.

When the tennis courts were built at Buckeye, Clark was involved in court construction and in ensuring that the buckeye trees would continue to flourish.

His knowledge of Third Mutual meant that, as offshoot Mutuals were formed, it made sense that those duties were added to his building maintenance manager purview. In building maintenance, there’s an appreciation from homeowners that’s natural, he said.

“Most owners are understanding, because they want it fixed,” Clark said.

One particular case in point was the fumigation of a three-story Ptarmigan Drive building because of termites. Though those residents were temporarily displaced, they were thankful and kind, he said. A 2012 story in the News described how residents from 27 manors had to move out for three days and two nights.

“Those residents were so great, considering we had to move so many people out of their units,” he said.

In his nearly 36 years in Rossmoor, Clark has made an impact in countless ways, Wright said.

“From mentoring young staff, to responding to emergencies with calm expertise, his presence has brought stability and trust to countless individuals,” Wright said. “His legacy is not just in the buildings he maintained but in the lives he quietly improved every day.”