THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 17, 1994 TAG: 9406150180
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 5K EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940617 LENGTH: Medium
``A lot of the city regulations we were faced with are fairly new . . . especially the one about not letting soapy water run off into the street,'' said Paul Strickland, who opened Strickland Auto Cleaners in a former Amoco gas station at 4117 Granby St. in Norfolk. ``So I asked (city officials) to let me come up with something myself.''
{REST} Strickland, 70, and his brother-in-law, Robert Worley, who are both retired from the Navy, came up with their own drainage and filter system.
It met with city approval, and was installed last fall. The car wash opened in November.
``The bottom line is he is not putting pollution into the system,'' said Jim Daman, storm water engineer for Norfolk. ``He's handling it. I give him credit for that.''
Now, when cars come in for a hand washing at Strickland's, they are driven into an area surrounded by five asphalt knolls.
These knolls, which resemble speed bumps, divert the soapy water and detergent into an underground basin that filters the water for oil, sand and other contaminants.
Employees also use a high pressurized hose system - equipped with a pinhole-sized nozzle - and biodegradable detergents to get the cars cleaned.
They wax and buff and detail the interior and exterior of vans, cars, trucks and recreation vehicles as well as wash and paint motors. Prices range from $10 to $75.
``We only use about 2 1/2 gallons of water to wash each car, because we're using the high pressure system,'' said Strickland, an ordained minister.
Interior garage bays are also equipped with a filter system to catch any debris and runoff during car washings.
The former owner of a car detailing operation in Newport News, Strickland wanted to open a business on the Southside so he could work closer to home. With all the water restrictions in Virginia Beach, opening a business there was ``out of the question,'' he said.
Still, getting under way in Norfolk was more costly than Strickland first estimated. After purchasing the property on Granby Street for $135,000 last October, he spent another $150,000 to purchase equipment. Then, there was the unexpected cost of his filter system.
That added $3,000 to his investment.
He expected to get that back this spring and summer when more people start coming in to have their cars washed, he said. ``Cars always have to be washed, and people don't want to do it much anymore. Plus we'll do a lot better job,'' he added.
by CNB