KANKAKEE — After years of starts and stops, the Ricky Rockets Fuel Center on Kankakee’s east side has opened.

Motorists could begin fueling gas-powered vehicles at 10 a.m. Feb. 1 at one of the 12 fuel islands at Shell gas station. The five diesel fuel islands on the property’s north side were in place, but they still needed to be certified by inspectors. Diesel service now is offered.

David Redfern, Ricky Rockets director of operations, had one word to describe how he felt about the opening at 2209 E. Court St.: “Excited.”

The projected $20 million Kankakee development is the largest of the 11 Ricky Rockets locations. The company now has 10 sites in Illinois and one in Texas.

Fuel centers have become must-have developments in highway interchanges as companies fight for truck driver business.

ROAD TO RICKY ROCKETS

The development at the 13-acre East Court Street site — once the longtime home for a 104,000-square-foot Kmart store that closed in 1994 — had been announced in 2016, when the city was led by then-Mayor Nina Epstein.

For a variety of reasons, the project never gained any momentum, and it eventually fell off the project table of Ricky Rockets owner Rick Heidner.

When Mayor Chris Curtis took office in 2021, one of his first acts was contacting Heidner to gauge if he had any intention of recommitting to the Kankakee project. After some discussion, the project came back, and in May 2022, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site.

“I reached out to Rick and asked how we could revive this project?” Curtis said. “This is a big deal for the city. Just bringing lights back to this area helps. This is exciting.”

Ricky Rockets Assistant Manager Rachel Willis, of St. Anne, said while the opening faced some obstacles, it is a positive thing to have on East Court Street.

“This is something good and needed, and it looks nice. It brightens and uplifts the area,” Willis said. “I hope it’s going to be great for the East side.”

<strong>WHAT’S ON TAP</strong>

Adjoining the Ricky Rockets convenience-type store to the west is a Wendy’s restaurant. The Wendy’s opened for business in mid-February and features a drive-thru.

The Ricky Rockets property is designed to cater to over-the-road truck drivers.

The location has a truck wash, truck weight scales and shower facilities as well as a lounge area for drivers to relax.

The property also is equipped with washers and dryers for clothing.

In addition to clothes washing, Redfern said a dog washing site also will be opened. The dog wash likely will open in late summer or early fall, and it will be open to anyone, not just truck drivers.

There are also plans for a dog park.

The store area will feature a Rocket Express, which is a sandwich and pizza area. As a first for Ricky Rockets, the sandwich area allows customers to make their own sub sandwiches.

The site also will be home to a carpeted, 10-video-poker-station gaming lounge. Players must be 21 to enter the Gold Rush Gaming room.

Redfern was well aware people had been anticipating the site finally opening, as it had been experiencing some visitors checking on the progress.

“This has been such a welcoming community,” Redfern said. “The people in Kankakee have been phenomenal to work with.”