Ames should carefully evaluate potential data center project

Dan Culhane, President and CEO of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, has penned a guest column in The Ames Tribune urging the community to thoughtfully consider the possibility of a data center locating in Ames, Iowa. Culhane stresses that while large projects warrant scrutiny and public input, they also deserve careful analysis rather than immediate dismissal, highlighting the competition among communities for such investments.

Culhane outlines key questions that should be addressed during the evaluation process, including the facility's water and energy consumption, impacts on electric infrastructure and utility rates, noise management strategies, and implementation of sustainability measures and modern cooling technologies. He emphasizes the importance of using current facts to assess proposals, acknowledging the rapid evolution of technology that makes modern data centers more efficient.

The column also points to the potential economic benefits, such as millions or even billions in private investment, job creation for construction workers and local contractors, increased demand for local services, and a boost to the property tax base. Furthermore, Culhane suggests that communities have an opportunity to negotiate significant community benefits, asking companies how they plan to be good corporate citizens through investments in local initiatives like homeless services, parking structures, recreational amenities, or downtown improvements.

Culhane concludes by urging elected officials to ask difficult questions and negotiate the best possible outcome for Ames, asserting that the conversation should focus on whether a specific project, under the right conditions, is truly beneficial for the city, rather than a general stance for or against data centers.