Cecelia Grant cites the 24-hour guarded gate at Siena as one of the major reasons she decided to buy in the southwestern Summerlin village. Siena is the only age-qualified community in Las Vegas with a manned entrance. "As a woman living alone, I feel better knowing the guards are there," said Grant, a retired Long Island teacher who now works for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s MVP (Metro Volunteer Program). A member of the VIVA patrol, she is a MVP police ambassador at McCarran International Airport. "The night I moved into my new home, Siena’s neighborhood patrol car followed me. The guard waited to make sure I was safely inside before he drove away. I really appreciated that. Because of the volunteer work I do, I think I am much more aware of the difference these security guards can make." A 665-acre Italian-themed village under development by Sunrise Colony Company, Siena features a palm-lined boulevard leading to its Tuscan-style security guard gatehouse. Siena neighborhoods are also patrolled 24-hours a day. Siena will consist of only 1,900 homes, one-third along the fairways of an 18-hole championship golf course. Homes range from the mid-$150,00s up to more than $400,000. All detached and single-story, the homes range from 1,200 to more than 3,100 square feet. "I have had very large homes before, but I wanted to downsize. Now I really prefer a cozier space," said Grant, whose Plan 5110 from the Milan Collection has 1,235 square feet. In addition to its master suite, the home has a second bedroom and bath designed to accommodate visiting family members. Siena has 14 floor plans from five Mediterranean-style home collections, all with a wide range of customizing options, including casita guesthouses and courtyard fireplaces. Professional interior designers, headquartered in Siena’s new on-site Design Studio, are available to assist homeowners. Grant also loves being part of a close-knit community. She met her future neighbors, fellow New Yorkers Ed and Vera Weber, at Siena’s Italian street fair this spring. Ed Weber and Cecelia Grant discovered they both grew up in Long Island. "It’s a small world," Grant said, who is glad she kept a vow to go West someday. "I headed happily into the sunset," she said. "I just wish I had come sooner. I love Siena." Siena’s nearly-40,000-square-foot village community center will have an arts and crafts facilities, meeting rooms, a library, a grand ballroom and theater, card rooms, a billiards room, and a computer and business center. Siena’s par-72 daily fee golf course ranges from 4,941 yards from the forward tees to 6,816 yards from the back tees. It is open to the players of all ages. Siena residents are given special rates and preferred tee times. Its 11,800 square-foot golf club will include a large lobby overlooking the golf course’s main waterfall feature and a restaurant will have an exterior dining patio. The club maintains a learning facility and has six golf professionals on staff. Siena also has outdoor swimming pools, spas, lighted tennis courts, and bocce ball courts. A 15,900-square-foot fitness center is currently under construction and will be completed in the fall. It will have a cardiovascular and weight room, saunas, steam rooms, massage rooms, and a 25-meter indoor lap pool. Siena is bordered on the north by West Flamingo Road, on the east by Hualapai Way, and on the west by Town Center Drive. The southern boundary is near Russell Road. To reach the Siena model village, take Sahara Avenue west and turn left on Town Center Drive. Proceed two and one-half miles south, past Desert Inn Road, and follow the Siena signs. Models are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. More than 30 years ago, Sunrise Colony Company began developing country club golf course communities in the Palm Springs, California desert resort area. Today, Sunrise Colony Company is one of the nation’s most respected residential and country club community developers. Sunrise Colony’s record of achievement includes the establishment of Indian Ridge Country Club, former host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and winner of the 2000 National Housing Quality Silver Award; and PGA West, the Western home of American golf, which hosted the Chrysler Classic, the Skins Game and the Grand Slam of Golf. In Las Vegas, the company is also developing the private country club community of Red Rock Country Club in Summerlin, which has an Arnold Palmer championship golf course.