Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land is shutting down.
The travellers and residents that made up the famous, controversial and longstanding 91裸聊视频渆co-village91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频渉ippie commune91裸聊视频� community on the outskirts of Tofino have largely dispersed. The structures they stayed and lived in are being torn down, according to Michael Poole, who owns the roughly 20-acre property.
91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e both the very best who are staying to help me clean up this mess, the true friends, and then there91裸聊视频檚 the ones who just really can91裸聊视频檛 seem yet to manage. People who just can91裸聊视频檛 operate in the usual world and love it here,91裸聊视频� Poole said.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 all transforming. We91裸聊视频檙e cleaning the board for a new era to begin, whatever it is91裸聊视频91裸聊视频檝e been the garbage man here and I don91裸聊视频檛 want to be in charge of anything anymore. I91裸聊视频檝e had it. It was good, but I91裸聊视频檓 kind of burned out on it, honestly; more than burned out.91裸聊视频�
Poole purchased the property in 1988. What it became began to take shape about a year later as people began visiting and staying.
91裸聊视频淭here were the really intelligent, the best travellers and university educated people that really came from good families and then there were the ones coming from totally broken situations with no education and poor working skills and all of that, so it91裸聊视频檚 been dynamic let91裸聊视频檚 say,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t turned into some kind of experience for people and I guess the town at first saw it as staff accommodation.91裸聊视频�
He estimated the land hosted upward of 100 people in any given day during Tofino91裸聊视频檚 busy summer months and perpetually carried a varied reputation, from being heralded for the desperately needed staff housing it provided, to being slammed for its loose laws and perceived illegal activity.
91裸聊视频淲henever anybody does anything, there91裸聊视频檚 always a bell curve of responses. Many of the people still in Tofino got their start here because there was nowhere else to get a foothold in order to get a job and to stay. Even among that group, there91裸聊视频檚 a bunch of different responses,91裸聊视频� he said.
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He believes it was the affordable accommodation his land offered that allowed Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land to exist with little government intervention, despite its illegality, for over 30 years. He also said he was already itching to move on before Tofino91裸聊视频檚 district office began handing him fines this past summer.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e thanked [Tofino91裸聊视频檚 fire chief and manager of protective services] Brent Baker many times for giving the three fines of $1,000 each, that really got my attention. At first, I thought, 91裸聊视频極h well, they91裸聊视频檙e just rattling sabers because they have to,91裸聊视频� but then I realized, no, this is real and I said 91裸聊视频楾hank you. This is so good. Now I get to quit this crummy job cleaning up after world travellers,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Poole said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 fully dedicated now. I know I91裸聊视频檝e run around the bush many times, but now it91裸聊视频檚 time to sell the place91裸聊视频91裸聊视频檓 out.91裸聊视频�
Baker has been with the district office for over three years and told the Westerly that he had not received a formal complaint about Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land, so the complaint-driven bylaw enforcement process had not been triggered, until early 2019.
91裸聊视频淲e don91裸聊视频檛 respond to complaints via Facebook and those sorts of things. When people sit down and take the time to go through the process, then we absolutely follow up with our process,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淪ometimes it can be a lengthy process and we have to work our way through it, make sure that we91裸聊视频檙e doing all our due diligence, but that was the case here and hopefully we end up with a positive outcome.91裸聊视频�
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He said the three $1,000 fines were related to zoning infractions after an investigation determined that Poole was operating a campground illegally, though the primary focus of the Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land crac down was centered around health and safety. He added that the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department has responded to two vehicle fires and one structure fire at the property in 2019.
91裸聊视频淭his process has been ongoing for about a year because we set out with the goal of voluntary compliance,91裸聊视频� he said, adding that Poole has been exemplary in his cooperation.
91裸聊视频淓very engagement that I91裸聊视频檝e had with Michael Poole has been very positive, very pleasant, he was very welcoming to myself or any other agencies that I brought along with me. He always greeted us as friendly as anybody you might imagine.91裸聊视频�
Poole has looked into selling the property before and said he91裸聊视频檚 now committed to seeing that sale through, suggesting he91裸聊视频檚 received offers on the land for around $3 million.
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He said he plans to help the Tofino Habitat Society with crowd funding or other means to try to buy the land from him, but added that it91裸聊视频檚 likely a developer will purchase it.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 two options, one is that our society buys it and the other is that some rich developer buys it,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淲hatever happens, from now on, it will have to comply with the bylaws of Tofino, which doesn91裸聊视频檛 really fit at all with our society and it91裸聊视频檚 very unlikely that a rag-tag crew could pull it together. It91裸聊视频檚 going to take some real savvy.91裸聊视频�
He added that he is skeptical about the society91裸聊视频檚 ability to take it on.
91裸聊视频淚, really, very much doubt that it91裸聊视频檚 going to go that way,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檇 say that this is ending and just going to get sold to someone typical.91裸聊视频�
He said he91裸聊视频檇 like to see the land used for educational purposes, particularly to test out alternative energy and living methods, rather than be developed in a traditional sense.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e got about a month to decide finally. And, in that month, we are going to put it out that this is over and what can happen next and see if there91裸聊视频檚 any interest out there from anywhere to do a really good job here, instead of the usual money-grubbing cement works,91裸聊视频� he said.
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He added that if the land does go to a developer, he plans to put at least $100,000 from the sale of Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land towards helping the society purchase an Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District lot near the West Coast landfill between Tofino and Ucluelet where, he believes, the residents who relied on Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land will be safely distanced from public and municipal scrutiny.
91裸聊视频淭hat, I believe, is the perfect halfway point where staff accommodation and food security meet in harmony. There91裸聊视频檚 no neighbours out there,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat takes the whole problem of staff accommodation out of Tofino and Ucluelet91裸聊视频t91裸聊视频檚 large enough to be a small town of its own.91裸聊视频�
He added though that he does not plan to be involved in the management of the potential new site.
91裸聊视频淚 won91裸聊视频檛 be part of all that. I91裸聊视频檒l be a visitor like everybody else. I don91裸聊视频檛 want to run anything. I don91裸聊视频檛 want to own anything. I91裸聊视频檓 going into my so called sadhu stage, which is when you divest of everything and let go of it all,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚deally, right now, it will be up to the board of directors of the Tofino Habitat Society.91裸聊视频�
Poole noted Oct. 7 marked the 31st anniversary of Poole91裸聊视频檚 Land and said he91裸聊视频檚 excited to spend more time travelling.
91裸聊视频淚 became old here. From 37 to 68 this all happened and I stopped being a traveller to become landed. Now, I91裸聊视频檓 going back to being a traveller again,91裸聊视频� he said, adding he plans to explore and invest in other unique communities that he finds.
91裸聊视频淭o try and just add some good kitchens and quality food processing here and there,91裸聊视频� he said.
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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