What you need to know:
- Mat-Su Borough officials are holding a community meeting to address crime, illegal dumping and squatting along a short stretch of road near Beaver Lake in Big Lake.
- Alaska State Troopers have increased patrols in the area. Borough officials also hope to work with the Palmer District Attorney’s Office to more aggressively prosecute related crimes.
- The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the corner of Drowsy Drive and Lazy Lake Circle.
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BIG LAKE — Mat-Su Borough officials hope a community meeting scheduled for Thursday at a corner near an unmaintained street in Big Lake known for its abandoned lots, squatters, property theft and drug activity can kick off a transformational cleanup effort for the area.
“The real goal here would be to get some properties sold, to get some new houses built, to get some families moved in, and to see this road eventually brought up to standard,” said Jason Ortiz, a Matanuska-Susitna Borough planning and land use deputy director who spearheads the borough’s community cleanup program. “We want some developer to come in and say, ‘Hey, I’ll develop houses and I’ll bring the road up to borough standards.'”
Such a step would be a dramatic turn for the quarter-mile section of Drowsy Drive and Peaceful Place near Beaver Lake. Deeply potholed, the dirt road is lined with piles of junk and vehicles on a series of parcels that Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials said are occupied by squatters who are systematically dismantling any structures.
Ortiz said he hopes an initial series of steps focused on reducing crime and removing junk from the area can help turn it around. Alaska State Troopers have agreed to increase patrols and enforcement in the area through their Criminal Suppression Unit, he said. And hopes to work with the Palmer District Attorney’s Office to more aggressively prosecute criminal activity in the area.
But he also needs community members to help report crime and newly dumped junk as they see it. The community meeting scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the corner of Drowsy Drive and Lazy Lake Circle will serve as the kickoff for the effort, Ortiz said.
Invitations were mailed to 120 residents in the area, and a food truck sponsored by the Big Lake Community Council will serve up to $500 in free food during the meeting. Troopers and Palmer District Attorney Trina Sears plan to attend the meeting, with troopers streaming it for those who want to listen but cannot attend in person, he said.
“Our goal is simple: to bring residents and public officials together for an open and constructive conversation about crime, nuisance properties, trash accumulation and other community concerns,” the mailer states. “By working collaboratively, we can identify opportunities to make your neighborhood safer, cleaner, and a place that everyone can be proud to call home.”
Increased trooper presence and enforcement in the area began late last month, with the Mat-Su Valley Criminal Suppression Unit conducting traffic stops near Peaceful Place, according to a trooper dispatch report.
One of those stops led to the arrest of Big Lake resident Megan Duncan, who had an active warrant on a minor theft charge, the report said. Duncan was remanded to the Palmer pretrial facility and released on $150 bail three days later, according to court documents.
Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel declined to give specific details on how the crime suppression patrols will be conducted going forward, citing ongoing police activity.
But if residents want to help reduce crime in the area, they need to report it, he said.
“You tell us what’s going on with your community — don’t assume that we know,” McDaniel said in an interview. “Just because you don’t see something happening doesn’t mean there aren’t things happening behind the scenes.”
— Contact Amy Bushatz at [email protected]
