Dean Stucky

Marshalltown is considering a Data Center!

Data Center, huh! This actually could be worse than the franchise attempt, but for sure it deserves some real debate and public sessions. With all the bad press and now the filtering into the rural areas, I have some real concerns. So much so that I called on my contact at my favorite AI site for some pros and cons of having a data center in a small town. He assured me that the pros would be loudly shared by the developers but the cons are often a quiet mystery, so I would like to put a bigger focus on those! So here are some AI generated drawbacks to having an AI data center in Marshalltown.

Potential Drawbacks

1. High Energy Consumption — This is one of the biggest concerns and rightfully so. Modern AI focused data centers can consume as much electricity as a small city. Utilities may need to build new substations, transmission lines or generation capacity. Residents often worry and should be asking: Will electric rates increase? Will the grid become less reliable? Will future power needs crowd out other development? According to WHO13 news the Ames Data Center uses 25% of the entire city’s usage.

2. Water Usage — Some data centers use enormous amounts of water for cooling. Depending on the design, a facility can consume hundreds of thousands or even millions of gallons per day? And what is the plan for WASTE water? For a town the size of Marshalltown, questions should include: How much water will be used? Will water come from city wells? Destroying the BEST water in Iowa. What happens during drought conditions? And is our water plant capable of handling a load like this?

3. Fewer Permanent Jobs Than Expected — Many people assume a large building means lots of jobs. In reality, after construction, a huge data center may employ only 20 to 100 fulltime workers depending on the facility. Some highly automated centers employ even fewer. This is often the biggest disappointment for communities expecting a major employer.

4. Land Use and Appearance — Large data centers can occupy hundreds of acres and include massive buildings, backup generators, cooling equipment, security fences and bright security lighting! None of which makes them good neighbors … and that impact is always felt by the least of the population.

5. Noise — Cooling systems and backup generators can create a constant background hum. This may not matter in an industrial area but can be a concern if population is nearby … and once again that is always felt by the least of the population!

6. Tax Incentives — Many communities offer substantial tax breaks to attract data centers. Yet there are many in all of these communities who have worked hard to buy a home only to find that after all the hard work there are no incentives to help them. So guess where they end up renting … next to a huge building housing a data center that’s making all kinds of noise that is causing property devaluation.

Top 10 questions the Marshalltown council should be asking!

1. How many permanent local jobs will be created?

2. What is the expected annual water consumption?

3. What is the expected electrical demand?

4. Will local utility customers bear any infrastructure cost?

5. What tax incentives are being requested?

6. What will the facility contribute in taxes after incentives expire?

7. How much land is involved?

8. How will noise and lighting be managed?

9. What happens if the company abandons the site?

10. Can the facility be expanded later without additional approval?

Iowa has become particularly attractive because of its central location, relatively low natural disaster risk and strong electrical infrastructure. That being said, some rural areas can be taken advantage of resulting in a poorly negotiated project that can leave a community with heavy infrastructure demands and very few permanent jobs to show for it! CAUTION AND QUESTION …

So Marshalltown , that is AI telling you to be cautious with AI! I would be a big fat NO until the whole city council went and toured a constructed fully operational facility! Talk to neighbors and townspeople and then dig down deep remembering that you are protecting the ones of us who can’t be heard. Thanks for hearing me out and please take this one seriously!

Dean Stucky is a retired small business owner in Marshalltown and a previous candidate for city council.