Following a series of construction delays, Splash Bath, a professional pet grooming salon and self-service pet wash, officially opened its doors Aug. 18 in the Shops at Meridian Ranch.Alicia Skalitzky, Splash Bath owner, said she originally planned to open for business in June. ìThe holdup was the construction of the building,î she said. ìOur unit has been done for several months, but the parking lot was not finished nor was the exterior shell.îAside from the construction delays, Skalitzky said her front door and windows were not properly sealed, and her unit flooded three times; the last incident occurred the day after the salon opened for business. ìWe were grooming and finishing up for the day and suddenly water just started coming in the unit from underneath the windows and doors,î she said.Skalitzky said Meridian Service Metropolitan District brought fans and a dehumidifier to help air out the unit so she was able to reopen the following day.ìThings definitely could have been planned better for this project,î she said. ìBut I am just glad we are open finally.îRick Coffelt, owner of Nanaís Kitchen, said he was the first business to sign a lease with the Shops at Meridian Ranch, but his space was the last to be built, causing delays for his opening. He said the goal is to open for business in early October.ìWe are excited to be opening again,î Coffelt said. ìWe will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a full menu, seven days a week.îCoffelt said he plans to have a grand opening ceremony before the end of the year.Progress on the rest of the Shops at Meridian Ranch is moving along, said Raul Guzman, vice president of GTL Inc., the Meridian Ranch development company. Paving is complete and final inspections were conducted Aug. 18, he said.The Meridian Ranch Liquor Store has received its alcohol license, and work inside the unit began during the week of Aug. 22, with an anticipated open date for late September, Guzman said.The Meridian Service Metropolitan District offices plan to be open for business by the end of the week of Sept. 12, he said.Papa Johnís has signed their contract and plans to open by Oct. 1; and, if all goes well, a local brewery/pub that is working on a lease contract could be ready to open for business by early 2017, Guzman said.Caption for Shops at Meridian photo: Paula Mayo brought her dog Oso to Splash Bath Aug. 18, and was the first official customer in the salon’s new location in the Shops at Meridian Ranch.
