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Commissioners report data-center field trip; raise questions about jobs, water, power and community impacts
Summary
After touring a Mecklenburg County data‑center training facility, Southampton County planning commissioners praised workforce training and potential tax benefits but asked staff to gather more technical data on water use, power infrastructure, noise, transmission lines and local impacts before deciding whether to pursue attracting similar projects.
Southampton County planning commissioners spent much of their December meeting reviewing a recent field trip to Mecklenburg County’s data‑center training center and discussing what lessons it may hold for local planning.
A commissioner who attended the trip described presentations by the county economic development director and community‑college staff and said the group saw how 'pad‑ready' industrial sites with water, roads and substations made it easier to attract large data centers such as Microsoft. The commissioner said the training center illustrated how community colleges can prepare local workers…
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