The charm of a Norman Rockwell town, while highly sought after, is the product of a concerted, community effort that is often without the laurels or the fanfare typically associated with a beautiful neighborhood.

This year’s Inspiration Award winners are the dedicated Oakdale residents who make up the Neighborhood Watch for the beloved, albeit decaying, Idle Hour mansion that has been in a state of disrepair since Dowling College closed up their campus.

Oakdale Historical Society, whose longtime president is Maryann Almes said the organization “is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the historical buildings, structures and artifacts found in the Oakdale community… while OHS has worked to secure protections at the town level, it is the efforts of our Neighborhood Watch that has truly saved this building.”

Through the work of the Neighborhood Watch, they have partnered with the Suffolk County Police Department, even engaging the police commissioner himself in one-to-one dialogue about how to shore up security on the property.

Last spring and summer, over a dozen arrests were made for vandalism and trespassing on the Idle Hour mansion and grounds.

“We have spent over $1,000 on cameras and surveillance equipment,” said Tom Alfano, a vocal member of the group who has fiercely lobbied the Town of Islip to provide aid.

Dave Chan, a Neighborhood Watch member and current president of the Oakdale Civic Association, said, “What really helps is that the community supports our efforts and stays on the lookout for any activity. Everyone in the perimeter houses has one of our cell phone numbers and can let us know if they see anything we should check out.”

Chan and Alfano quipped that oftentimes the “suspicious activity” is actually the Neighborhood Watch on patrol with flashlights.

“These gentlemen, on their own, banded together to create the Neighborhood Watch.  After meeting with SCPD Cope officers about how to proceed, they created a network that continues to exist over two years later.  They walk the properties every night, 365 days a year in rain, snow and heat.  They board up windows, lock and relock doors, secure entrance ways, and chase away vandals and trespassers,” said Almes.

While nearly all the original copper gutters and drains have been stolen, the Watch has worked with the SCPD to detain scrappers that were destroying the property and have “endured the disrespect of bands of unruly teens,” according to Almes.

The nominator for the Neighborhood Watch, Chan’s wife, Kate, said, “Like many others, my heart breaks to see history being destroyed slowly by vandalism and sheer lack of respect for history by the current property owners.”

This past fall, some changes have been made to ameliorate the situation between the current property owners, Mercury International, and the frustrated homeowners.

The original property manager was let go at the end of last year and replaced by a former Dowling employee who previously was in charge of the upkeep of the mansion.

American attorneys in Nassau County have also been more receptive to the homeowners as of late, holding a meeting at their offices last summer.

The task of safeguarding the property is still seemingly insurmountable, with out-of-pocket costs for boarding up broken windows and other damage.

In the initial stages of the watch, the members pooled their resources to pay to have the Neptune fountain properly wrapped for the winter, only to find it slashed the next day.

Members of the group are most concerned with the former library building on the property that they urged the town to condemn as they have witnessed fires and other dangerous activity in the gutted building.

“Going above and beyond, they have even monitored the Dowling sewage treatment plant and reported mechanical failures and issues that put the health of the Idle Hour community at risk.  Without these men, the property would have been lost long ago, despite the efforts of a concerned community, town and historical society,” said Almes.