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Elegant garage find

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It is the epitome of luxury, it has a pedigree of celebrity ownership, and it now has a home in Ken Schinnour’s auto stable.
It‘s hard to miss a bright red convertible with white leatherwork, 1990 Rolls Royce Corniche 3. The 33-year-old car is completely original, and it all started with a deal on a china cabinet.
“It’s a true garage find out of Kelowna, it never hit the paper,” Schinnour tells the Mail.
The car was handcrafted for Trevor Deeley. Motorcyclists will know the famous name. He was instrumental in the growth of Harley Davidson in Canada. He was the first to carry Honda motorcycles in the English-speaking world, and in 1973, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company asked him to become its exclusive Canadian distributor.
Every detail screams 1990 and luxury; from the sheepskin floor mats, and the Motorola console phone, to the crystal decanters in the door pockets. The main difference between the previous Corniche 2 and the Corniche 3, was the fuel injection system. The car weighs over three tons.
“I’m pretty sure, only from my experience of cleaning it, that Deeley bought it for his wife. The year he bought the car, he would have turned 70,” he said. Only two seats were dirty in the car.
The car was sold at some point to David Dunn, who had his best seasons with the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL and went on to be an assistant coach for the team. He owned the car when Schinnour discovered it.
He explains Dunn had a property in Kelowna, but only visited periodically. When he did, the car was taken to shows the odd time. Last year they decided to sell the property.
A friend who lives in Vernon offered up a china cabinet her son has been storing, and Ken and Marcie went out to take a look.
They met up, and before they went to pick up the cabinet, the friend asked to pick up another piece from a garage that was in storage. They agreed and ended up at Dunn’s property.
Ken entered the garage and saw a car under a cover. Marcie peaked and saw an “RR” hubcap.
“So I went and pulled the cover up a little bit and saw it was red and was a convertible. I thought, ‘that’s cool, I had never heard of a Rolls Royce convertible,'” I didn’t know they made them."

It turns out, another potential customer had put a $500 deposit on the car and never returned. With two days until the property was to be sold, the seller was motivated.
“We ended up buying from David Dunn.”
After sitting for so many years, of course, it wouldn't start. Ken did manage to find a mechanic in Kelowna, who was up to the task, and the car was towed to the shop. In three days it was purring like a kitten.
Ken opted not to drive it home, especially with the age of the tires. So far, all that has been replaced has been the water pump, and fuel pump (twice). A few door dings and blemishes have been cleaned up. Aside from that, it is original.
He has owned the car for about a year now, and it makes its way up and down the valley, and was on display at the Valley Cruiser’s Annual Show and Shine.
Rolls Royce once used the slogan “Trusted to Deliver Excellence.” With his new ride, Ken found that it is “Trusted to Deliver Smiles while cruising the valley’s roads.”


Kneehill County approves additional $135,000 for equipment purchase

Kneehill County Council

Rising costs have prompted Kneehill County council to approve an additional $135,000, on top of a previously budgeted amount, to purchase three new vehicles--two tandem-axel gravel trucks, and a motor grader--during the regular Tuesday, June 28 council meeting.
Council had originally budgeted $570,000 in the 2022 Capital budget deliberations for the purchase of the three units, however, when bids were received, the total came back at just under $630,000.
Director of Infrastructure Mike Ziehr noted the current grader in use has about 10,500 hours, which is beginning to exceed “a comfortable lifespan.” He added the unit is beginning to show signs of wear on the transmission, which is a known issue that can happen around the 10,000 hour mark, and replacing the unit will help prevent expensive repairs in the future.
The tandem-axel trucks, which were purchased in 2011 and 2012, both have over 360,000 kilometres. There are rust issues on one of the units, and a total of 29 unscheduled work orders within a 12 month period on the second unit.
Mr. Ziehr shared a limited number of bids were received on these tenders; when some companies who had not bid were queried, they noted they were unable to meet the timelines outlined. He added, as it is, the units are not expected to be ready until between the end of 2022 and first quarter of 2023.
The other companies had timelines for around June 2023 and later.
Council unanimously approved the additional $135,000, to be withdrawn from the Capital Equipment Replacement Reserve, to purchase the three new units.

Rockyford village council awards sidewalk contract

VILLAGE OF rockyford logo

Rockyford village council awarded a contract for concrete replacement for a block of sidewalks along Main Street in the village during their regular Wednesday, July 13 council meeting.
Skar Contracting Inc was awarded the contract, with a total bid of $116,100 excluding GST for the concrete replacement.
“Work will not begin until late August, early September as we have to wait for Fortis to get everything ready for new street light installation,” shares Chief Administrative Officer Lori Miller.
Another section of sidewalks previously had its concrete replaced with coloured, stamped concrete; this new section will use the same coloured and stamped concrete to match.
Ms. Miller adds any impacts to residents and businesses along this block will be kept to a minimum.


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