Weather
"Felony Flats" Cabins Being RelocatedDepartment of Transportation clearing space for highway expansionMAT-SU VALLEY - A neighborhood with a reputation for trouble along the Parks Highway has to move to accomodate a state highway project. This row of cabins rents for cheap and a lot of the residents are transient. They've mostly moved out now, but they few remaining are getting ready to go. Lou Sackett used to live here. Now he has a hobby business to supplement his social security. "This is where I sell all my stuff, I mean junk," he said. All around him are stacks of stuff, stuff that's already looks like its lived a full life: fishing poles, VHS videos, creaking exercise machines, a rusted hammer, knick-knacks, among much more. His latest treasure is a mailbox that looks like a fish, "I'll make you a deal. Five dollars, you can have it!" Sackett said he can get by without the money, but he'll miss selling his stuff here. He says he knows the troopers refer to this row of cabins and trailers as "Felony Flats," -- "and they have reasons too. We've had quite a few instances here." In the last few years, this neighborhood has seen at least one murder and a stabbing. But Sackett doesn't want to focus on the negative. "Them are war stories... you don't want to hear that." Property manager Twana Cooper says she'll miss some things. "I like it here," she said. "Business wise, it's nice. I like talking to people." She says she feels safe living and working here. But like it or not, Cooper, Sackett and everyone else here has to move on. The Alaska State Department of Transportation is paying to locate the five or six remaining residents. Sackett said some around here don't like that, "Hey, they been knowing that for the last few years! They're gonna widen the road and I don't wanna become a speck in the road, so hey, I'm leaving" Sackett likes selling his stuff, his vehicles, camp trailers, and broken machinery, but he knows it's time to move on. "Progress is what the whole thing's about." |
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
|
You have indicated this comment should be removed.
The comment has been submitted for review. Thank you .
jake said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 7:01 PM
about time , should have bulldozed it years ago its an eyesore
103702801napalm said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 7:12 PM
While it may be an eyesore I can't see the justification to relocate them when there are plenty of miles of other non-inhabited land for them to put a highway through.
103703306Anonymous said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 7:49 PM
kind of an eye sore anyway !
103704816marty said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 8:45 PM
Some of the cabins look junky but some are pretty cute little cabins. Most the cars ain't all that to look at but hey welcome to Alaska (lol). The guy's big metal building has always had some artwork on it so that was okay. As for the crime thats what you get when its cheap and a hop and a skip from a bar and a liquour store. Good luck to the folks moving!
103706505cooljulie said on Thursday, Oct 11 at 9:43 PM
Always an interesting place to drive by. I saw the 1/2 off signs last week and was laughing, thinking it was just Lou having some fun. It's these quirky places that have always made Alaska what it is, and I'm sad to see so many roads being built and things turning into an urban appearance. Same with Talkeetna. Used to be such a great little town, now it's gotten so commercial it's depressing.
103782186Add a comment
Most Popular