Things got heated Tuesday night during a meeting about a proposed data center for the city’s industrial park, and one person was taken into custody.
Claremore police arrested Darren Blanchard for trespassing during the meeting after officers said he refused to follow the rules after going over his allotted time to speak. Police escorted the man out of the meeting and booked him into the Rogers County Jail.
More Than 100 Attend Meeting at Rogers State University
More than 100 people showed up at Rogers State University to get answers from the developer of the project, Beale Infrastructure, along with city councilors.
City leaders said the meeting was meant to clear up confusion and correct information they say has been shared incorrectly, while also listening to residents’ questions and concerns.
Many of the people who spoke raised concerns about the data center’s potential effect on public infrastructure and resources.
Power Grid and Water Supply Among Top Concerns
Bret Miller, who lives in a rural part of the area and relies on well water, said he is concerned about how the project could affect the local water supply.
“Well, how much water are you going to use? I don’t think they’re expanding on that. Where are they going to get that from in Claremore?” Miller said.
Maggie Froman-Knight with Claremore Economic Development said developers must complete due diligence when making a proposal like this to the city council.
She said the data center would be an air-cooled facility that would only use water resources for routine needs, such as fire suppression systems and bathrooms.
Developers say the City of Claremore would supply power through the Grand River Dam Authority, but the center would not be connected to the main power grid.
Froman-Knight said developers would be required to pay upfront for any additional electrical infrastructure, such as a new substation and transmission line improvements.
“If there were improvements required to the electrical infrastructure, the City of Claremore Council would have to codify, by ordinance, to require them to do that. And so that would be one of those future public actions,” Froman-Knight said.
No Vote Taken Yet
The city council was not set to vote Tuesday night. The meeting was informational only.
City leaders said the project remains in the planning phases and would not be final until it goes before the Claremore City Council for a vote.
The city manager said he anticipates a decision by the council within the next few months.
This article was originally published by KOTV (News on 6). You can see the original story here.