Grand opening Saturday for San Luis Obispo’s second Quiky Car Wash
Correction: Because of a database error in San Luis Obispo's billing system, an earlier version of this story misstated the estimated amount of water that the city's second Quiky Car Wash would use. An analysis of five comparable car washes in town shows they use an average of 63,568 gallons per month, or about the same amount as 11 homes in the city.
A daylong event will be held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m Saturday to mark the grand opening of the second Quiky Car Wash in San Luis Obispo.
The car wash is at 1460 Calle Joaquin, near the intersection of Los Osos Valley Road, and incorporates a distinctive building previously occupied by Denny’s and Zaki’s Waffle House.
The first Quiky Car Wash opened at 2959 Broad St. in 2012. Plans are in progress to open a third location in Atascadero early next year, according to a news release.
The new San Luis Obispo spot will feature a wash tunnel and free vacuums, similar those offered at the Broad Street location, plus an additional “fast pass” lane for anyone who purchases an unlimited car wash membership.
So far, more than 3,000 people have bought such memberships, said co-owner Rodney Cegelski, who owns the car washes with Hamish Marshall.
Unlike the Broad Street location, which uses potable water, the owners hope to use groundwater for the Calle Joaquin site from a well on the property.
They are in the process of reactivating the well, which was a recent point of contention with the city of San Luis Obispo.
The City Council in January delayed a decision on whether to relinquish the well until it could discuss any water rights the city might be giving up in transferring ownership of the 26-year-old well, drilled in 1989 in the midst of a severe drought.
The well was shut down in June 1993, and the city’s review did not reveal any easement or other right to the well, according to a staff report presented to the council Feb. 16.
An attorney for the property owners sent a letter to the city in January stating it has no ownership interest in the well or property.
The council unanimously agreed Feb. 16 to transfer the well and infrastructure. City staff said the estimated water use for the project is about 63,568 gallons per month, or about the same amount as 11 single-family homes in San Luis Obispo, based on the average amount of water used by five comparable car washes in the city.
The water used for car washes is recirculated, Marshall said in a previous interview.
He estimated that about 80 percent is recycled and used a second time.
The grand opening event will run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to www.quikycarwash.com.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Grand opening Saturday for San Luis Obispo’s second Quiky Car Wash."