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Board meets in executive session, then clarifies data‑center cooling restriction to permit closed‑loop systems
Summary
After an executive session for legal and real‑property matters, the commissioners clarified a prior restriction on evaporative cooling at a data center: the ban targeted systems that lose water off‑site, whereas closed‑loop systems with internal re‑condensation are acceptable if water is retained in‑system.
The Spalding County Board recessed into executive session to consult the county attorney on legal strategy and real‑property negotiations permitted under the Georgia Open Meetings Act (OCGA §50‑14‑3). After returning to open session, commissioners addressed a technical question raised about a prior condition on an approved data center: whether the board had intended to ban any evaporative process or only those systems that consume and lose water off‑site.
A commissioner said the earlier intent was to prohibit evaporation that leaves the site and requires additional water intake, not to stifle closed‑loop refrigeration technologies that recirculate water within a system. The board clarified the operative engineering standard: the system must be a closed loop that retains water in‑system so it does not create off‑site water loss or increased external demand. Commissioners noted that staff and engineers will need to confirm compliance with that interpretation when permits and technical plans are submitted.
The board then moved to adjourn.
