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Ellendale mayor: data center brought growth, strain and "growing pains" to small town
Summary
Ellendale Mayor Don Flaherty told the Legislature's interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee that the Applied Digital data center has reversed decades of decline in his town but created housing, childcare and public-safety strains that city leaders are still managing.
Ellendale Mayor Don Flaherty told the North Dakota Legislative Management's Energy Development and Transmission Committee on the committee's Ellendale stop that the Applied Digital data center has sharply increased local valuation, activity and optimism but created "growing pains" the city is still addressing.
The mayor said the community of about 1,100 residents saw residential valuations jump because of the housing shortage and an influx of workers tied to construction and operations. "Either you are growing and thriving and becoming something new or you're dying," Flaherty said, summing why city leaders have welcomed the project despite its challenges.
The mayor framed the…
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