Patience is a virtue.

No one needs to tell that to Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis. He has lived it when it comes to the long-anticipated developments.

That virtue is about to be rewarded.

At Monday’s Kankakee City Council meeting, lawmakers extended a conditional use permit for a period of one year to QuikTrip, the developers of the fuel center of the same name, which is set to build a $20-million station just northeast of the Interstate 57 308 interchange in south Kankakee along U.S. Route 45-52.

And according to Curtis, the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company should be soon kicking into action in terms of having underground utility infrastructure found and relocated.

Perhaps even before that task is undertaken, the site will be cleared of unwanted trees and brush.

All this action will lead to a mid- to late-April groundbreaking and finally reaching the target time frame of a May 2027 completion and opening of the business.

QuikTrip leadership had hoped to be working at the location now.

The hope had been for the location to be in operation by the latter portion of 2026, but Curtis said that time frame is simply out of reach.

While the QuikTrip development will be a welcomed addition to Kankakee and interstate motorists, the city is placing great hopes on the restoration of the former RiverStone Conference Center, which abruptly closed in 2017.

After the council meeting, Curtis said the city will be advertising for a construction manager to oversee what will likely be at least a two-year renovation project.

The goal is to have a project manager hired by April 1.

The conference center, which is adjoined to the 110-room Wyndham Garden Kankakee hotel, formerly the Hilton Garden Inn hotel.

The conference center property is currently under the ownership of QuikTrip, but the city administration and QuikTrip have previously finalized details of the city’s $1.15-million acquisition of the property.

The location is in need of a top-to-bottom restoration, which is expected to be in the neighborhood of $2 million.

Ultimately, the city plans to rehab the site and get it back in operation and then put it up for sale.

Curtis said it is not his goal for Kankakee taxpayers to be owning and operating a conference center.