Ryan Tours The New Valmeyer And "Rock City Business Complex"

VALMEYER - Governor George H. Ryan toured the proposed new Rock City Business Complex in the quarry of Valmeyer, the village that was relocated and rebuilt with state assistance after the Great Mississippi River flood of 1993.

The Village of Valmeyer rebuilt on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River flood plain where the small farming community once was before the devastating river flood.

The business complex is being constructed on the former Columbia Quarry property. The Village of Valmeyer now owns the property and they are marketing the more than 3 million square feet of caves for warehousing operations.

"Our greatest assets are our people and their resourcefulness," Ryan said. "Not only has Valmeyer been rebuilt, but the town's resilience was evident in tangible ways. I see it in the new school, the churches, the senior citizen apartment complex, and in the residents' faces.

"With the development of these caverns, we will see the pride in yet another location," he added.

The state will work with local officials on the Rock City Complex redevelopment and noted that the dormant mines will once again contribute to the local economy.

"The richness of these caverns was mined many years ago, but that does not mean that their usefulness has also been depleted," Ryan said. "We will use this space to keep business within our own borders."