Wythe County officials on the dais presented details this meeting about a proposed Solus Arcs Virginia LLC data center in Progress Park, saying the county would provide an approximately 99-acre ungraded site at no cost while the company would assume grading and site-preparation costs. "The company with this project has a total projected investment of over $1,000,000,000 in Wythe County," Mr. Baer said during a slide presentation.

Officials described the site as lots 35 and 36 in the southeastern corner of Progress Park, adjacent to an AEP substation and roughly a one-mile radius of predominantly industrial uses. Mr. Baer said Progress Park was established in 1999 and has been marketed for data-center development for years.

The county representative said the company anticipates using a closed-loop, air-cooled chiller system and estimated roughly 2,000 gallons of water per day would be required — "which is equivalent to our local restaurants," Mr. Baer said — and that Wytheville's public water system has substantial spare capacity. Wastewater service would use the county treatment plant; Mr. Baer noted pretreatment would be required if a particular discharge stream demanded it.

Officials emphasized oversight and permit requirements. "Any air monitoring requirements would be overseen by the Virginia DEQ," Mr. Baer said, and he added that groundwater withdrawal or direct discharges would require DEQ permits. He also cited Progress Park covenants that restrict noise to 65 decibels at 500 feet from parcel boundaries.

County staff described the fiscal case presented to the board. Citing a study by Mangum Economics, Mr. Baer said the project could generate more than $10 million annually in additional real-estate tax revenue beginning in 2028 if construction proceeds on schedule. He noted the county's current real-estate and personal-property revenue context and called the proposal likely to become one of the county's largest taxpayers.

David Manley, executive director of the Joint Industrial Development Authority, outlined the project's long timeline and defended confidentiality used during economic-development negotiations. "The process isn't about arbitrary secrecy. Instead, it's about protecting the community's ability to secure jobs," Manley said, explaining that nondisclosure is common in recruiting to avoid undermining competitiveness.

Officials said local incentives for the project are limited to existing enterprise zone benefits; county staff said Appalachian Power will provide electric service and rates and that the county does not negotiate or subsidize those electric agreements. Wythe County staff also said the company would cover site grading costs and that the county has been working with VDOT on a roughly 300-foot extension of Kent's Lane to serve the site.

The board stressed public engagement. The chair said the company CEO has offered to hold a town-hall question-and-answer meeting and that staff will work to set and advertise a timeframe. "We will discuss that and we will work on a timeframe for that," the chair said; he then opened the meeting's citizens' time and invited written remarks to be submitted to staff.

Residents raised concerns earlier in public sign-ups, the chair acknowledged, including complaints that the matter was not discussed publicly earlier. Board officials responded that the site certification and recruitment work dates back many years and that the board would balance confidentiality with public transparency as the project advances.

Next steps for the public include the announced town-hall and the scheduled citizens' time during which community members may speak for three minutes; officials said they will post future updates on the county website and social media.