{"id":211601,"date":"2026-10-25T20:44:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=211601"},"modified":"2026-10-25T20:44:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T01:44:53","slug":"data-center-construction-to-require-many-more-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/10\/25\/data-center-construction-to-require-many-more-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Data center construction to require many more workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
The planned QTS data center at the Mega Site in Van Wert is expected to look like this or very similar. Ground has been broken, excavation work is underway and actual construction is expected to begin in the spring. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

SCOTT TRUXELL\/<\/strong>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Original estimates had approximately 1,500 construction workers needed to build Van Wert\u2019s $10 billion QTS data center but those figures have been revised. The number is now larger \u2013 a lot larger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Sunday\u2019s \u201cCommissioner\u2019s Corner\/Mayor\u2019s Conference\u201d program on radio stations 99.7FM WKSD and 1220AM\/104.3FM, Van Wert Area Economic Development Director Brent Stevens said<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stevens said ground was recently broken on Phase I of the project, which will include four buildings at the Mega Site on Van Wert\u2019s east side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach building is roughly 650,000 square feet apiece and they\u2019re all being built at once, so that has shifted their numbers up quite a bit,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a couple of hundred people on this massive ground excavation over the next six months, then they\u2019ll start to go vertical. For the first 12 months, we\u2019re going to be in that 2,000 (construction worker) range, then all the subcontracters are coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That when the number of construction workers is expected to climb to as many as 5,500 per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201c5,500 people in town per day, I would say after March of 2028,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With several thousand workers coming to the area, the question is \u2013 where will they stay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in the process of going to everybody that can facilitate new housing and going \u2018we need to work on getting this done,\u201d Stevens stated on the show. \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about housing for the last year and a half or two years, it\u2019s just sinking in to everybody. I\u2019m talking with several different developers \u2013 I\u2019ve been talking to developers in Fort Wayne about building over there as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf the 5,550 that are going to come here, how many are actually going to be moving to Van Wert because we need to prepare the schools too,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stevens did say some of the workers will be local. As far as rest of the workers and where they will come from, Stevens quipped it\u2019s like a \u201ctraveling road show\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll go to this data center and build it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have these certain groups that will fly in, do all the things they need to do but for example, for this particular project, the head Suffolk guy (Suffolk Construction Company, the contractor in charge), is actually moving to Van Wert and will be here for 6-7 years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The topic of an adequate number of local restuarants and bars was also discussed during the program and he mentioned the old Marsh hotel could and other storefronts downtown could be put to use, along with available space in the Towne Center Blvd area. Stevens mentioned that for every job that\u2019s created at the data center, 3.5 ancillary jobs follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven our surrounding communities \u2013 Ohio City, Convoy \u2013 people are looking at doing things over there because of this particular project,\u201d Stevens said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stevens noted that a temporary off-ramp will be built of off U.S. 30 directly into the construction site and a 6,000 spot parking lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as dollars to the local community, Stevens stated QTS is going to take \u201czero incentives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to give back to the community in an unbelievable fashion and I\u2019m hoping we\u2019ll be able to announce that (soon).”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stevens said there have been ongoing discussions about how to manage the money coming into the community and how to do things in a fiscally responsible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we have decided in talking with the commissioners and the mayor, is there\u2019s going to be funding coming in that will be city money and funding coming in that will be county money,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe will create two boards \u2013 a board for the city and a board for the county.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full program can be heard below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n