Block Talk is a weekly feature about a neighborhood as seen through a resident's eyes. Today we're talking to Earl McGill, a board member and Webmaster of the Coronado Foothills Estates Homeowners' Association.
Name and occupation: Earl McGill, 78, has retired twice. His first career was as a U.S. Air Force pilot and instructor pilot. His second retirement was from teaching writing and English to high school students. McGill is also a published author.
Neighborhood: Coronado Foothills Estates.
How long he's lived in Tucson: Since 1969. (McGill was also stationed in Tucson for about six months in 1952).
How long he's lived in this neighborhood: Since 1969.
McGill and his wife, Eleanor McGill, 75, moved into their home after McGill retired from the Air Force. McGill then earned a fine arts master's degree in creative writing at the University of Arizona. He taught at Tucson High Magnet School.
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His involvement with the neighbors: McGill is a board member of the area's homeowner's association and the organization's official Webmaster.
He said one of his primary concerns has been helping residents learn more about the neighborhood's complicated deed restrictions.
"People were building too close to the front of the property, near to the road," McGill said in citing an example. "And a lot of these violations were because these deed restrictions were written in a language that's not very clear."
McGill said he suggested to the board a few years ago that the Internet might be a good way to help people learn more.
"I told them at the time, 'We've got the Internet and we've got the Web site, but it's nothing more than a 'Hi, how are you' kind of thing."
McGill took over the Web site about three years ago, and people can now look up information about the neighborhood, including its deed restrictions, at www.coronadofoothills.org online.
A recent development: McGill said a recent jump in property values has resulted in a number of homes being sold and then torn down so larger homes can be built.
Why he chose to live there: The view.
McGill and his wife had purchased some land on the East Side but ran into problems when it came time to build on the property in the late 1960s.
"In 1969, things were in a slump. The economy wasn't too great," he said.
When they first found their current home, McGill said, they wrongly assumed it would be out of their price range. But before long, a loan was secured, the East Side property was sold, and McGill has enjoyed his current home for nearly four decades.
"We wanted a view and we have a fantastic view, especially of Finger Rock and that whole area,'' he said. "It's been 38 years and I've never gotten tired of it."
What sets the neighborhood apart: Wildlife.
The area is not gated, McGill said, and is strictly residential, which he believes leads to more wildlife sightings.
He sees a bobcat about once a year, he said, and a wide variety of birds every day. He has a pond on his property that attracts the animals.
"Once there were a pair of foxes that we think lived right under our deck," he said.
One improvement that could be made: Better security.
McGill said there have been some burglaries in the community, and he'd like to have a Neighborhood Watch established.
"We're sort of at the mercy of whomever wants to come in here," he said, explaining that the break-ins seem to come "in waves."
There is a phone alert system for any residents who want to be on the list, he said, but he'd like to see more done to help people protect their property.
McGill said that when his home was burglarized in 1997, "it seemed like people were coming out of the woodwork saying, 'Oh yeah, we were burglarized, too.' "
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Neighborhood statistics
Name: Coronado Foothills Estates.
Founded: Early 1960s.
Number of homes: More than 500.
Boundaries: East Ina Road and its extension on the north; North Swan Road on the east; Skyline Road on the south; North Alvernon Way on the west.
Municipality: Pima County.
