Second Waterford data center proposal announced at Washington County Commissioner meeting
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MARIETTA - Washington County Commissioners read a letter from Continuum Partners on a proposal for a second data center in Waterford from Todd Esse, adjacent to Project Riverbend. Commissioners also approved a contract through Team Care Health Insurance for a reduction in employee and taxpayer cost and software to streamline Washington County record requests.
The letter from Esse stated "Project Crystal" is a proposed data center on Clark Hill Road in Waterford, that will be served by AEP Ohio, like neighboring Project Riverbend and Cipher's data center in Monroe County.
The project will have a potential $1.8 billion investment.
Continuum Partners, formerly HashWorks Industries, is an energy and real estate development company, according to the letter.
"We've heard your concerns, and here is what we'd like to put on the table," the letter says.
The letter then outlines the firm’s intentions with cost and encumbrances faced by the county.
"The project pays for what the project causes; roads, water lines, the power connection, fire and EMS. Not the county, not the township, not you."
That includes a claim of a minimum payment to the county every year for every megawatt that comes online -- 240 megawatts, according to Commissioner Charlie Schilling. The letter states the firm will make these payments "whether or not the property is assessed the way we expect, and a separate yearly payment into a community benefits fund."
The letter then states all buildings will be placed 300 feet from any home, with berms and trees planted during each phase, "lights pointed down," and a named liaison with a published number before site work begins. The letter states the intention for public briefings at every quarter, and a "resident seat at the table" during the length of the project.
The letter also approximates 2,000 construction jobs, and 300-400 permanent jobs once the first building is complete, "with a written preference for hiring (in Washington County)."
While Schilling stated "nothing has been signed," the letter states the next steps will be discussing the project “with the county, the township, Wolf Creek and Fort Frye schools" to come to formal agreements.
"Whenever (the Muskingum River Power Plant) closed down, that was 400 jobs (lost). When the AMP-Gorsuch site was closed down … that was another 100-200 jobs that (Washington County) lost … These jobs are coming back, and so this is a project that we'll be working on a continuing basis through our legal counsel that we have retained, and working through a benefits agreement and a development agreement that makes sense for the community," Schilling said.
In other business, commissioners tabled an update to the Washington County personnel policy concerning a new insurance policy and vacation accrual policy for county employees for further review.
Diane Yeaples Davis, director of Washington County Human Resources, stated the biggest change was the vacation accrual policy for the length of time to accrue an additional week of vacation. Davis also stated with the new insurance policy, new hires will be eligible in 30 days.
Commissioners approved the new health insurance coverage through Team Care Health Insurance that will reduce the cost for family coverage and will have no more than a 6% increase a year allowing for more consistent budgeting and a reduction of costs to taxpayers, according to Davis.
Commissioners also approved the purchase of software for records requests for the Washington County IT Department totaling $17,876 per year.
Donnie Rader, director of Washington County IT Department, said due to an increase in record requests the software would allow the department to "manage, track, redact, and send the results to whoever requested (the records)…It'll make sure that we're tracking everything and sending what we need to send, so there's transparency and clarity."
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at swheeler@newsandsentinel.com.