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Commissioners visit QTS data center; county leaders say facility appears quiet and well-run
Summary
County commissioners who toured a QTS data center in Sterling reported staffing with veterans and public-safety veterans and said the facility was quiet at close range; commissioners referenced Project Carmel, a proposed data center project for Berkeley County, but took no formal action.
BERKELEY COUNTY, W.Va. — Berkeley County commissioners visited a QTS data center in the Sterling, Va., area and reported June 26 that the facility appeared well-managed and unusually quiet, comments that county leaders said bode well for a proposed local data-center project known as Project Carmel.
Commissioners who toured the facility described a workplace staffed in part by former military and public-safety personnel and highlighted the center's attention to employee history and service. "When it comes to noise, we walked out of the facility... You couldn't hear a fan spin," one commissioner said, describing the sound level about 10 steps from a roll-up door.
County officials said the QTS site — referred to during remarks as "QTS 1 Ash" — offers an example of how a large data center can integrate into a community. Commissioners noted they believe the company would be a "good neighbor" to nearby facilities such as hospice providers, but the commission did not take any formal action related to Project Carmel at the June 26 meeting.
Project Carmel was mentioned as an existing proposal for Berkeley County; commissioners said they toured a smaller QTS facility to learn operational practices and neighborhood impacts. No permit, zoning or contract decisions were recorded in the meeting; commissioners said further review will continue as required by county processes.
