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Building trades tell Canton council data centers can bring construction jobs while urging local hiring and assurances on water, power and noise
Summary
A presentation to Canton City Council by the East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council said data centers will generate large short-term construction employment and apprenticeship opportunities while arguing closed-loop cooling limits water use; presenters urged local hiring, described grid impacts and offered tours and follow-up information.
Brett McElfresh, president of the East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, told Canton council members on April 6 that data‑center construction offers sustained economic and workforce opportunities for the region and urged the city to prioritize hiring local tradespeople.
McElfresh said the council represents thousands of union construction workers across multiple trades and noted data‑center projects can require large crews during construction. "A 250,000‑square‑foot data center can mean roughly 1,500 construction workers," he said, adding that apprenticeships and training programs expand where data‑center work grows. Eric (last name not specified on the record), a building‑trades speaker, cited examples in Ohio where apprenticeship enrollment rose sharply as data‑center activity increased.
The presenters discussed technical concerns that often accompany data‑center proposals. They said most modern facilities use closed‑loop cooling systems that recycle water and, in their view, consume less water annually than a golf course. Brett McElfresh said the cooling systems in planned facilities are similar to those used on hospitals and schools and argued that noise and emissions can be controlled: "These data centers are cleaner than school buses," he said, describing SCR emissions controls and monthly, scheduled generator tests.
On energy and grid impacts, a presenter noted Canton's location in the PJM regional transmission footprint and said adding large customers can raise capacity prices across the region. The group also pointed to a 2025 Public Utilities Commission decision that they said requires some data‑center owners to pay the majority of certain electric costs over a multi‑year period.
Speakers acknowledged community concerns about water, noise and electricity costs and offered the trades' perspective that projects undergo individual site reviews and that mitigation measures and permitting remain local responsibilities. James Leonard of Hillshire Clark Electric, who said he has worked on data centers since 2019, invited council members and the public to tour existing campuses to better understand operations.
Why it matters: Council members will soon face zoning, abatement and tax‑incentive decisions if a data‑center proposal proceeds. The building trades framed the development as a major source of construction jobs, training opportunities and tax revenue, while also raising technical points the city and utilities may need to evaluate.
The presentation closed with offers from the trades to provide apprenticeship and training information, tours of training centers, and follow‑up materials for council staff.
