WaterSmart Makeover: Nature’s Gallery in Santee

When Karen Fleck and her family moved into a larger home in 1990 from the one they lived in down the street in Santee, the idea was that it would be temporary — a stopgap before buying a home in the proposed Fanita Ranch development. The house had the benefit of having a swimming pool for her two young sons.

The embattled development, however, has yet to be built, and over the years, her boys grew up and her husband passed away. Nine years ago, Fleck met and married Tom Clarke. The two live in the home now with their cat Frankie. Both are now retired: Fleck from the position of vice present of marketing and business development for a credit union, and Clarke, a longtime chef at UCSD before becoming a senior project manager for purchasing for the university’s department of housing and dining.