The Friends of the Rappahannock and Rappahannock Group of the Sierra Club are joining up to hold an educational event to brief area residents on the impact and effects of data centers.
The one hour educational session at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library next Wednesday, July 24th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM will include staff members from both organizations giving a one-hour presentation with a question-and-answer period to follow. The event was prompted by the Fredericksburg City Council’s recent decision to direct staff to undertake a study regarding the placement of data centers in Fredericksburg’s Celebrate Virginia South community.
When it comes to data centers, residents will be playing catch-up with council and staff.
In a FOIA request obtained by hyperbole, members of the City Council and staff traveled to a Chantilly data center construction site on February 9th of this year. It reveals that travel and tour accommodations included no more than two Council members in a vehicle or at the facility (they were accompanied by city staff) for a single visit. This approach, which included five vehicles and three separate tours, avoided the need to publicly disclose a meeting of more than two council members.
The FOIA request shows that Fredericksburg Planning Commission Director Chuck Johnston drove and toured the data center with Councilman Will Mackintosh and City Attorney Kelly Lackey (who then was working as the City’s Special Projects Counsel). Principal Planner Mike Craig attended with Council members Jon Gerlach and Jannan Holmes. Councilman Duffy and Mayor Devine both drove separately but toured the facility together.
Fredericksburg Public Information Officer Sonja Cantu confirmed the three separate tours “were given to ensure there were no more than two Council members on an individual tour.” She said the city did not announce the visits to the public.
Mayor Devine did briefly acknowledge the visits in comments about data centers shortly before last meeting’s unanimous vote in favor of the staff study.
She explained that “billions” of dollars of investments in Spotsylvania, Stafford and King George would be produced across 20 million square feet of facilities in the near future, yielding millions of dollars in new revenue for those communities. Devine also said that most of the previous issues with data centers had been addressed.
“Many of the concerns that have been out there…again, they don’t disappear. But they’ve been managed and developed a little bit better.”
One of those concerns she’s referring to were regarding the facilities’ water usage, which Stafford has apparently addressed with “water reuse / recirculation” process. Council and staff were able to view examples of this technology during their visit.
“Each development they get a little bit different, a little bit better, if you will,” Mayor Devine said. She said these advances have led to the mitigation of many of the noise concerns.
It’s not clear how large of a facility will be needed or proposed, but Mayor Devine said the city is eyeing nearly 300 acres of land under less than a half dozen owners in this “very preliminary” study. The revenue produced from these facilities would help diversify the city’s revenue streams and alleviate homeowners from increasing property taxes and rising need of city services.
“If there is a way to bring a data center to Celebrate South in an environmentally responsible manner, I would be in all favor of it,” remarked Councilman Gerlach.
“Thumbs up, let’s see where it goes.”
