Website launched about data center; hearings scheduled

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert residents wanting more answers about the planned data center can find that information at a new website.

Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Brent Stevens addressed Van Wert City Council Monday night and said the website was recently launched at vanwertohiodatacenter.com.

“That really goes into the details,” Stevens said. “I know city council had put together some questions that they asked economic development to address and a good portion of those questions are addressed on that data center site.”

A recent announcement was made that Google plans to build a $600 million data center in Lima but Stevens said the investment in Van Wert is a much larger $10 billion project. The name of the company building Van Wert’s data center has not yet been revealed.

He also reminded council that the data center, which will be built at the Mega Site, will use a closed loop system, with some of the components made at Van Wert’s Danfoss plant. Stevens said Danfoss has leased the former Braun finishing building on Grill Rd. for storage use.

“I was able to work with JobsOhio on a $150,000 grant to help them with some of the sprinkler systems that they needed,” he stated. 

He also noted that a Danfoss plant in Tennesee closed, but 40 jobs are being transferred to Van Wert, separate from the 50 new jobs created locally to keep up with the demand for data center components.

The city’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding zoning for the data center at 4 p.m. this Thursday at the Muncipal Building. An application seeks to the site to “I-2 General Industrial” district. The commission met last fall to rezone the property, and Thursday’s hearing is considered procedural (see previous story here). In addition, the city is bound by an existing pre-annexation agreement. Thursday’s hearing will be to consider the application and will not be a question and answer session. If the planning commission approves the request again on Thursday and sends it to city council for final approval, council will host a final public hearing on May 4.

“That will allow for plenty of notice to the public,” Council President Thad Eikenbary said. “We need to give the public at least 30 days notice before that hearing and that will be well over 30 days and that will allow us the opportunity to hear the public on that topic and then hopefully vote at the next meeting, May 11. This is something that really has already been done, we just want to ‘dot all the I’s and cross all the t’s in terms of communication as it relates to zoning.”

“The public hearing is not a Q&A, that’s what the new website is for,” he continued. “You’re going to get your two minutes – come prepared if you want to state something and you’ll get your time and the council will hear you.”

In other business, after a brief executive session, one of two closed door sessions held during the meeting, council member approved a new three year contract with Local #3767 of the AFSCME, Ohio Council 8, AFL-CIO. The union presents the city’s utility workers, including water and wastewater, street and park workers. The contract calls for five percent raises each year of the deal.

Van Wert City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. Prior to that, a Council of the Whole meeting will be held at 6 p.m. to discuss a possible amendment to the city’s junk and rubbish ordinance.