John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!

If you have driven out to the airport recently you have noticed the construction of the new hotel on the land across from the airport entrance.  This will be the new Sheraton Four Points.  There is a history of hotels for this site that never came to fruition. Different parties each time. First there was a Sheraton and the developers never made that work, then there were plans for a Comfort Inn and as you know that didn’t work either.

The one under construction is a development of Argus Properties and the President & CEO is Ted Callahan. He is quoted as saying “We expect Four Points by Sheraton to be a hit among both business and leisure travellers who appreciate the brand’s great service, comfort and style.”

"With one of the strongest pipelines in the Starwood portfolio, Four Points is an increasingly attractive choice for owners and developers in fast-growing markets across North America," said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North American Development for Starwood. "Four Points offers a compelling blend of comfort, style and affordability, plus it is backed by the power of Starwood, including the award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest program."
Argus Properties is a forward thinking property and Development Company with a proven 40 year track record.  Headquartered in Kelowna, Argus Properties has an extensive portfolio of projects and a well-earned reputation as one of British Columbia's foremost development companies.

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It was the grand opening of the new Urban Fare and I am having some problems since I hurt my leg and realized that I couldn’t stand there for any length of time so I didn’t attend the special opening on Friday.  Our daughter Brenda was in from Langley and I asked her and Dave to go shopping for me and when they came home I interviewed them. 

“Dad, when we walked into the store we could tell that this was going to be a real different shopping experience. There is a warm, calm feeling to the layout an yet it was busy with shoppers. There were lots of colours, special lighting, new floor and an excitement in the air.  The shelving was just high enough so you could see the entire store. The freezer space was quite spectacular and the walls were lined with the wooden apple box ends from the Okanagan Valley.
The butcher shop had actual butchers who could cut things you wanted and they had many game meats available.  Then there was the deli loaded with possibilities for that quick dinner to take home and any number of specialty items you may have not seen for a while.  There was also a specialty coffee department where they will grind beans to take home from many, many brands and some home blends and imported blends of coffee.”

They were very impressed with the fresh baked bread department and the artisan breads they are handling in the store. They brought me home a loaf of olive bread and it was sensational.  I need another one of those breads.    
They gave the restaurant a look  over and were impressed with the layout and said it looked like a buffet style that sat fifty people and it was crowded while they were there.

She was surprised to find these cookies made in Langley because according to her they are the best in the world.
The colours and the layout of the produce section and the flowers were probably one of the best displays they had ever seen because the colours were so vivid.

Both of them said the Urban Fare was loaded with goods from B.C. The store was proud to show them to the public.
The company has a new set up for check outs where you get in line and are directed to a till when one is available.

The final word, “Walking through those doors and getting the entire picture of the store was inviting us to shop there. We bought some stuff to take back with us.”

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I got this email and have had many more in the past about the condition of the medians on 97N from Hwy 33. Every time I ask about this mess I am told that’s the Department of Highways that has control of that particular road and they have to make a decision to clean up and keep it clean - they don’t.  Here's the most recent email.

Hello John: How about doing some editorial on the state of Hwy 97N from Hwy 33 East towards Reid’s Corner? I know that Andre Blanleil commented on the state of the medians on Hwy 97. There is a pile of dirt and broken concrete at 97 and Commerce Road that has been there since early spring. What an eyesore 97 has become.

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Rumours and Things . . .

What is going to happen now to the offer being made by Lowes, the second largest home improvement retailer in the world?  They have a money offer of $1.8 billion on the table to buy out the Quebec company Rona.
The new premier of Quebec is saying nobody outside the province can purchase a Québec based company. The companies that could be involved in a transaction like this have got to step back and take another look.

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Artis REIT has taken a stronger position in the retail activity across the lake as they increased their ownership in the two local properties Westbank Hub Shopping Centre and Westbank Hub Centre North.

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The demolition crew is finished their work at the Coast Capri Hotel and the scaffolding is down and it looks like the hotel again. Now according to Gavin Perry, the general manager, the rebuilding process begins.
The hotel is looking for a grand opening Feb 1 of next year if all goes well.

The tower and the 48 rooms within the tower were water damaged and smoke damaged from the recent fire and it was decided by the owner to rebuild the entire tower with state of the art rooms and all the new technology.   
The original Capri Hotel was opened by the Capozzi family in 1956 and there are still 137 rooms’ for travellers every night of the week. The hotel is now owned by Graham Lee, who also operates Prospera Place and the facilities at the Rec Centre in the Mission.

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Bob Gauley from Collier’s Real Estate gave me the line-up for the new Brandt’s Creek Shopping Centre in Glenmore. Cooper’s Foods will anchor the new mall with a 20,000sq foot grocery store.  Followed by Shoppers Drug Mart with a 10,500sq foot location and joining the list of tenants is also Great Clips Hairdressing, a family dentistry practice, Dozo Asian restaurant and a Starbucks.  Coopers should be open by Dec. 1 or sooner.

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We went to see the first showing of “Rann Berry and the One Hit Wonders” show and were impressed with the work Rann and the eight piece show band had done with the idea.  It was very entertaining and now just a few weeks later all those people who missed the original show will get a chance Friday Sept. 21st to see it live again at the Kelowna Community Theater. We have bought our tickets and are taking another couple to see the performance. This time comedian Herb Dixon will be the special guest which is terrific because I haven’t seen him recently.

There is a real journey for all of us in the audience because it takes back the music of the 60s and 70s and the songs with a real story that we loved. It was a fun night and the theatre was full.

Tickets are only $28.00 plus taxes and fees.
On sale now at selectyourtickets.com
or Charge by phone  250 762-5050