Pepper Fisher
SEQUIM – The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries last week published a list of 9 businesses that have been fined for not complying with Covid-19 guidelines, specifically, mask violations. Red Carpet Carwash, on Highway 101 near Sequim, is one of those 9, and the only one on the peninsula.
Because the list was published last Friday, you might assume that Red Carpet was cited recently, but owner Keith Beck says that’s not the case, and he wants to tell his side of the story.
Beck says the $900 infraction, which he has appealed, occurred 6 months ago on May 5, just 3 days after he re-opened from the original statewide shutdown.
“And it was only one issue. And what it was, we had a customer in here having her car detailed, she was in our lounge, which is an employee lounge, and it says ’employee lounge’. One of the guys walk through without a mask on to go to the bathroom and she turned us in.”
Beck says that’s after he requested that someone from L&I come do a walk-through and tell him how to be compliant.
“So I wanted to be proactive and say ‘Please show me what I need to do’. Her exact words, ‘It’s too far to drive’.”
To make matters worse, Beck says an L&I rep told him after reviewing the complaint that if he made a few minor changes, there would be no fine, only a warning. The changes were made, and he’s been fully compliant since that time. 5 months later, in September, the ticket arrived in the mail.
Beck says his appeal will be heard on December 9 via telephone call. In the meantime, he believes his business is being hurt by the misconception that he hasn’t been following the rules.
“I want to be good for the public, you know, cuz Port Angeles and Sequim are small and word gets out and blah blah blah. I’ve had people comment ‘Oh, I’m not going to go there because they’re not following’. Well, that’s not true. We are following. It happened in May. I think it’s wrong that they’re just picking out certain people to enforce this. I mean, it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t understand it and it’s making us look really bad.”
Photo: Beck and the crew posing in July.