The data center proposed for Warrenton was again the main topic for discussion at a town-hall meeting the evening of Oct. 15 hosted by Warrenton Ward 2 Alderman Christine Wait.
During the discussion, Wait said her biggest concern with respect to a proposed data is a current rate case before the Missouri Public Service Commission.
She said currently the PSC is in the process of considering a case for tariffs for large load customers.
“I have narrowed it (the data center) to three things for me,” Wait said. “The biggest one is the impact the tariffs are going to have on consumers' utility bills.”
Wait said that while she is not against the idea of a data center, if electric rates will not be affordable for regular consumers she can’t consciously make a decision that will negatively impact residents by voting in favor of a data center.
“This weighs very heavily on me,” Wait said about a decision regarding the proposed data center.
She recommended that those in attendance at her town hall go online to the PSC case and offer public comment regarding the case.
She said her position is that large electric users should not be allowed to share the cost among other ratepayers, but should be forced to pay for the energy they use.
With respect to water concerns, Wait said one of the first things she did was contact a geologist at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and ask how many high yield wells could be placed in the formation here.
She said our water in this area comes from the Roubidoux formation of the Ozark aquifer.
“We are sitting on an abundance of water,” Wait said. “Water is the least of my concerns.”
She noted that high yield wells drilling down below 1,600 feet can tap into wells that can produce upwards of 70 gallons a minute. Wait, who worked for Missouri American Water, explained to those in attendance her knowledge of water resources and well development.
Wait also said that she did have concerns about our data being housed overseas and noted the national security importance of building data centers in the U.S.
“In my opinion, I would rather see them here than see our information going all over the world,” she explained.
In addition to her concerns about electric rate costs, Wait wants to make sure there are appropriate guidelines in place in the city for data center development. She said that any data center built here should use a double closed-loop system for cooling, which is a system that circulates coolant through a sealed system. She said any center should also include noise barriers and visual barriers.
“We need to establish ordinances that dictate what can be put in and how we control this,” she said.
Wait said she also was not in favor of any tax incentives for a proposed data center.
Prior to the discussion on the data center, Wait discussed a number of developments within the city during her time on the board.
Wait said the city approved the installation of a new well, in part because of all of the expansion within the city.
“We have a lot of commercial industry coming to town right now,” she said. “It is important we stay ahead when it comes to our infrastructure.”
She said the board has also discussed enhancements on the Highway 47 overpass that goes over Interstate 70. She said the city is in favor of black wrought iron fencing along both sides with black lightposts. She said it would be more expensive than a generic chain link fence, but would add an aesthetic appeal.
She said the city has been upgrading its parks.
She said she would also like to see the city have some form of public transportation, but it is not financially feasible at the moment. She said one of the reasons she would like to see public transportation is because the city has a growing elderly population, some of whom can no longer drive.
She also discussed the city’s recent approval of an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation regarding work-zone enforcement along the interstate.
