Work is ramping up at the Rock City Admiral Parkway Development in the caves of Old Valmeyer following exploratory tests in July, though nothing is set in stone just yet.

A large area near the entrance to the Rock City parking lot has recently been occupied by the vehicles and equipment of Kiewit Corporation, a national construction and engineering company.  

Admiral Parkway, Inc. owner and president Joe Koppeis told the Republic-Times on Tuesday that Kiewit has been contracted by an undisclosed company “in anticipation” of a contract to utilize a portion of the Rock City complex.

Koppeis added the “improvements” and clean-up work is being conducted at the “south side” of Rock City, which he said has “never been touched.”

In addition to continued environmental and structural testing, Koppeis said Kiewit personnel are also performing maintenance work, small repairs and other “prep work” at the site such as removing loose rock and built-up lime dust on structural support beams.

The goal of the recent activity, Koppeis said, is to be “ready to run, and run fast” by preparing the space for immediate use if a business would decide to use an area in the unique commercial property.

While Koppeis said he would be disappointed if a deal doesn’t ultimately materialize, he also pointed out Kiewit is financing the improvement and preparation project itself, with the estimated investment to date in the “millions” of dollars.

Koppeis concluded by saying he expects to be in a position to speak about the recent Rock City work by the end of October.

Rock City, established in 2000, is currently home to food distribution storage for Little Caesars Pizza, Cargill Meat Solutions, Louisa Foods and others, a data storage center and the National Personnel Records Center Annex which houses federal records in a climate controlled environment.

During the development of Rock City, the Village of Valmeyer established a Rock City Admiral Parkway Development Tax Increment Financing District through 2023.

An amended Rock City TIF district was extended through 2035 on behalf of the village through an act of Illinois legislation in late 2022.