You mean being overrun by more data center construction workers than our whole population? Granbury TX.
Lana Robinson FB post: I read this post in Hood County Commissioners Court several months ago and posted it afterwards, but it bears repeating...
According to projections, 8 proposed hyperscale data centers + 1 solar farm, if built simultaneously as expected, could potentially inundate Hood and northern Somervell counties with 12,000 construction workers during the years-long build out phase if each project. That is almost as many people as currently reside in the city of Granbury (13,740) and almost 1/5 of the population of Hood County (about 66,000).*
How many concrete trucks, trailer tractor rigs carrying heavy equipment and other vehicles will this add to the already overburdened traffic situation we have on Hwy. 377 and Hwy. 144, as well as Hwy. 51 and other area roadways? It is already bumper-to-bumper most of the time. Imagine what it will be like once construction begins on projects of this scale? How are Granbury and Hood County residents supposed to navigate through all this traffic once TxDOT starts building the roundabout at the junction of 144 & 377, and starts widening Hwy. 377? That project has been in the works for a decade or more and scheduled to start soon, beginning on the West side of Granbury, right where all this traffic will converge.
@TxDOT
Nothing in the works for this deluge of data centers. How many more city and highway patrol officers at taxpayer expense will be required to monitor and ensure the safety of Hood County residents who regularly travel to work and school on these streets and roadways? How many more bonds will residents have to pay for upgrades of county roads and streets that will be damaged by all this extra weight and unprecedented use?
Where will all these temporary workers plan to stay during the construction phases of all these projects? Based on current lodging data for Granbury, the city has an estimated capacity of approximately 550 to 650 hotel and motel rooms.** That’s about 11,000 beds short for the construction workers, and even if half of them stayed in travel trailers or campers, that is still nowhere near enough capacity.
All this for a mere 1,335 permanent jobs resulting from these disruptive projects, and we don’t even know how many of those positions will be offered to local people or if they will, instead, recruit outside technicians and specialists that will move here.
Please explain why Hood County should be offered up as a sacrificial zone for these industries motivated by greed?
*PROJECT SPECTRUM ~ 1,500 to 2,000 construction workers at the peak of its development (likely 200-300 jobs once in operation).
PROJECT RED (MARA) ~ 350 construction workers in build out phase (Zero (0) permanent jobs anticipated; company has indicated that the operation is already highly automated and can be managed by the existing workforce).
PROJECT YELLOW (MARA) ~ 350 construction workers in build out phase (Zero (0) permanent jobs anticipated; company has indicated that the operation is already highly automated and can be managed by the existing workforce).
PROJECT COMANCHE CIRCLE / SAILFISH ~ 2,000 construction workers at the peak of its development (220 - 450 jobs, including technicians, security and engineers, once in operation).
PROJECT LION ~ 1,200-1,500 construction workers during build out phase (100-150 permanent jobs once completed).
PROJECT PANTHER ~ 1,200-1,500 construction workers during build out phase (100-150 permanent jobs once in operation).
PROJECT PATRIOT ~ 2,000 construction workers during build out phase (60 permanent jobs once in operation).
PACIFICO FORT SPUNKY ~ 2,000 construction workers during build out phase (220 permanent jobs once in operation).
RAIN LILY / LYDIAN/EE NORTH AMERICAN ~ 250-300 construction workers during construction phase (2 to 5 full time employees once in operation).