Commissioners explain purchase of Walker Co. property amid data center concerns, company reassures
Walker County Commissioners recently passed a 30-day moratorium on data center construction, which applies only to unincorporated areas. This action followed residents' concerns, amplified by the sale of a four-acre county property in Rossville to a company named BRIDGTRK. The company's co-founders clarified their facility is not a large-scale data center and will not have significant water or power impacts.
Walker County Commissioners recently enacted a 30-day moratorium on data center construction, with plans to extend it. Chairwoman Angie Teems clarified that the moratorium applies only to unincorporated Walker County, with each city needing to take its own action.
The measure comes amidst growing resident concerns, particularly regarding the sale of a four-acre county-owned property in Rossville. The property, sold on July 13 after discussions dating back to February, was purchased by a company identified as BRIDGTRK.
BRIDGTRK co-founders Joe Morgan, Jim Chandler, and J.T. Suggs addressed public anxieties, emphasizing that their facility is not the large-scale data center many envision. They explained that it will primarily collect and redistribute cellular data, operating in conjunction with EPB's quantum center in Chattanooga. The co-founders assured residents that their operations are small-scale, will not consume significant water, and will not impact EPB power providers, unlike the large facilities associated with tech giants such as Amazon, Walmart, or Google.