City Council OKs engineering work tied to data center development
The Festus City Council voted 5-1 to authorize a contract with Burns & McDonnell for engineering studies and designs for water and sewage improvements supporting CRG’s proposed hyperscale data center. The project has faced local opposition, though the approved work is intended to determine infrastructure needs and costs rather than authorize construction of the data center itself.
The Festus City Council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor and Burns & McDonnell to enter a contract of up to $140,000 for engineering work tied to a proposed hyperscale data center north of Highway 67 and west of Highway CC. The study will examine about 7,000 feet of new water main, other water improvements, a booster pump station and an elevated storage tank needed to support the development and meet fire-protection standards.
CRG, the St. Louis-based data center development arm of Clayco, plans to develop the 361-acre site and has estimated the project’s cost at $6 billion, although no operating data center company has been identified. The improvements would be reimbursed under an infrastructure agreement between Festus and CRG. Councilman Rick Belleville sought a 60-day delay and voted against the resolution, while Councilman Dan Moore supported the engineering work despite campaign opposition to the project. Fourteen residents later spoke against the proposed data center and the city’s handling of the project.