Steve Stroiman

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Steve Stroiman

Steve Stroiman got involved with the Mt. Airy Avenue–Nippon Street Town Watch “almost from the beginning.” As the group has expanded to include eight blocks altogether, taking in blocks on Cresheim Road and Bryan Street, Steve became even more involved and has served as the coordinator for many years.

The town watch serves an important purpose in patrolling the neighborhood. But, for Steve, the organization has a broader purpose. “I see it as the forum for our neighborhood. I think a major function is for the neighbors to get to know one another. If you know your neighbors, you are helping not just a faceless name but somebody that you care about. So we meet every month and have various speakers come talk about not just town watch but also community issues. We have gotten involved in activities such as graffiti removal and clean up of the train station. We hold an annual porch sale. We have successfully collected money for snow removal. We have a sunshine committee that responds to various life cycle events. We have an informative monthly newsletter. We have been able to secure grants from the city to purchase things for the organization.” 

The Town Watch has even gotten into social work. “Over the last three or four years, four of our young teenagers have done a lot of mischievous activities. So a group of about ten of us got together. As summer approached, we came up with over a dozen constructive activities for them. We met with their families. And we worked closely with the public relations office of the 14^th district police station. Subsequently, we haven’t heard anything bad about these kids. And one of them has recently come to our town watch meeting and wants to get involved.”

Steve’s leadership is highly regarded by the neighbors who nominated him to be one of 40 Good Neighbors. But he insists that the Town Watch is not “a one-person outfit.” “I lead the meetings but a lot of stuff is done by a solid base of about 15 people who are regularly involved. And there is a broader base of people who are involved at one time or another.”