With significant decisions ahead on the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus data center in the coming weeks, Emporia city leaders have been on several tours of the fifth-largest data center in the United States.
Including Monday, when KVOE News, two Emporia city commissioners, a businessman and two owners of land near the proposed data center campus in far west Emporia went to Oklahoma for a tour.
The local group had a chance to see the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, Oklahoma. The data center campus covers over 9,.000 acres and ranks as the eighth-largest in the world. The Pryor campus now employs as many as 4,500 workers.
Google has supported its global AI and cloud storage infrastructure after establishing its presence in Oklahoma in 2011, investing over $13 billion into the state since opening its operations in Pryor 15 years ago. Another $9 billion worth of investment for upgrades in Pryor and a new facility in Stillwater was announced a year ago. Over 80 other businesses — some associated with Google, others not — now call MidAmerica home. Major employer business sectors range from technology and data to advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive and food processing, with other suppliers focusing on business categories like construction, industrial or electric supply and logistics.
Pryor Mayor Zac Doyle says his city of around 11,000 people has definitely benefited from having the data center, especially in the connections with Google. The city has seen upgrades to its AI infrastructure and electrical grids. It has also seen numerous improvements in education, both with test results, fields of study, staff pay and facilities. Doyle says Pryor does not use the state’s available property tax receipts because of the needs met by Google. He says the education transformation is an underrated component of Google’s impact on Pryor.
Workers come from Pryor, but they also come from eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Doyle says Google buses some workers from outlying areas to its facility.
Doyle says cities considering data centers — like Emporia — need to keep in mind other factors that may not appear as easily connected to the data center itself, like housing, infrastructure and education, and they need to act on those topics as soon as possible.
Pryor has several hotel and apartment complexes currently under construction to meet the housing demand. Pryor has also developed The District, a mixed-use development involving restaurants, medical services, employment services and apartments immediately north of the campus.
The MidAmerica center, which actually had its origins as a munitions plant during World War II, shifted focus in the 1960s through a public trust agreement involving Pryor, Oklahoma and the federal government. The industrial park officially launched in 1980.
Unlike Emporia, Pryor had no say on the data center’s development, due to the agreement bringing MidAmerica to the town. Also unlike Emporia, Pryor cannot collect property tax revenue because of the state’s taxing structure — except for specific circumstances like operational bonds, so-called sinking funds or targeted general fund allocations. Cities and towns in Oklahoma largely use a combination of sales taxes, franchise fees, use taxes and other charges for their operations.
Steve Cates has land south of the proposed data center. He was impressed by some aspects of the data center campus, not others.
David Faulkner also has land nearby. He says he didn’t know what to expect on the trip, but he was largely against the project. Now he says a data center “could be great for the city” — but only if it’s done right.
Even being impressed with what he saw, Faulkner still has concerns about beautification and setbacks that he would like to see addressed.
Decisions remain ahead on the data center project, notably the zoning overlay being discussed at the Emporia Planning Commission special meeting Tuesday, large-volume water use policy discussed earlier this month and other topics. The trip to Oklahoma helps to highlight the non-negotiables being discussed by the city, according to Commissioner Monica Duncan, who says beautification projects will be needed.
Duncan also says this opens up a chance to bring some major infrastructure improvements to Emporia at no additional cost to residents.
Duncan says any agreement should also include a decommissioning plan in case the data center is built and then dissolves, including a plan to return the land to Emporia Enterprises.
Noise, a key concern for local residents opposed to the data center, was not evident during most of the tour — which drove right through several parts of the MidAmerica space during afternoon operating hours. The exception was a bitcoin mining operation, which was clearly audible for at least 200 yards away from the business.
City Commissioner Erren Harter says the end user agreement will have several components that are designed to lessen resident fears on several topics.
According to Harter, the agreement will also stipulate that residents will not pay any additional money for the data center’s infrastructure needs.
On local infrastructure, Harter says the city has realized it is around 15 years behind the curve on housing, so the city is working to alleviate the housing shortage even if a data center is not approved.
Harter says city leaders need to keep an open mind as the overall process continues — something residents have accused them of not having — but he says the end result could be good for Emporia.
Doyle says due diligence is a key for Emporia to separate fact from perception.
And Doyle encourages Emporia city leaders to be good stewards of the community, regardless of whether a data center is included in the long-term plan.
Before the special meeting of the Emporia Planning Commission at 6 pm Tuesday, Emporia Neighbors United has organized a “Rally and Pack the Hearing” event. The gathering begins at 5 pm outside White Auditorium.
Following Tuesday’s special meeting, Emporia city commissioners could take action on matters related to the data center at its meetings next month. City Manager Trey Cocking says city commissioners will adjustments to the large-volume water use policy discussed as part of the last meeting June 17. Final action on the water use policy and, possibly, the zoning overlay, is tentatively set for the July 15 meeting. If both steps are approved, Cocking says there are numerous other steps to take before a data center can begin construction, including:
*Starting and finalizing a development agreement
*Working through the plat process for Tracts 1-10 north of Industrial Park IV and the Planned Unit Development process for Tract 11 north of the Jones Aquatic Center and Cedarbrook Meadows housing development
*Signatures on water and wastewater agreements
*Reviews of utilities, site plans and construction documents
*Building inspections
Developer Gary Pinkston of Cedar Point has indicated interest from at least some of the “Magnificent Seven” tech giants, with that overall list including Google Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. Pinkston has also mentioned a 10-year timetable for full build-out. According to Pinkston, the data center could lead to around 2,000 construction jobs, as well as 500 full-time, 500 contract and 500 subcontract positions once the campus is filled.
