Faribault County Commissioners Discuss New Blue Earth Data Center, Existing Noise Mitigation
A proposed air-cooled data center is planned for Blue Earth's West Industrial Park, with discussions at a Faribault County Commissioners meeting covering a new access road and minimal water usage. Separately, owners of an existing data center in the area have agreed to build a noise mitigation wall due to community complaints, despite meeting state decibel standards.
Faribault County Commissioners convened to discuss several local issues, including a proposed data center in Blue Earth's West Industrial Park. Tim Stoner of Blue Earth Light and Water informed the board that the new air-cooled facility would not require significant water usage. The discussion included plans for a new road, Industrial Drive, to be extended to the west to provide access to the data center site and an adjacent property operated by Talus Ag.
Concerns were also raised regarding noise from an existing data center located near Cabin Coffee. Stoner confirmed that while the data center's noise levels comply with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards, its owners have voluntarily agreed to erect a wall to alleviate noise issues, particularly impacting the drive-up speaker at Cabin Coffee.
Additionally, the meeting addressed a State payment misdirected for a road project, initially intended for Blue Earth but earmarked for Faribault County. State Representative Bjorn Olson outlined options to correct the appropriation, including a Joint Powers Agreement between the city and county, which the board approved. Other agenda items included an update on a "falling down building" in Elmore, county road construction, and the approval of an agreement to house out-of-state inmates from Polk County, Iowa.