Posey County residents got a chance to talk face-to-face with Amazon this week about a data center the company could build in the far southwest corner of Indiana.
Amazon hosted an open house Tuesday, Oct. 20, where people from Posey County and beyond asked company representatives about the possible project, 14 News (WFIE) reported. It came about a month after Amazon first revealed its interest in the area at a public hearing on a proposed county data center ordinance.
No project has been approved. But for contractors in the Evansville region, the conversation is worth following closely.
Why Posey County
Amazon officials said they're looking at Posey County partly because CenterPoint Energy has excess capacity on its power grid, according to WFIE.
The company also said any data center it builds would be water conscious, using about as much water in a year as nine restaurants. Amazon said a facility would comply with local ordinances on sound, energy use and environmental impact.
At the open house, officials brought a mobile unit that gave residents a hands-on look at equipment simulating what a data center computer looks like.
What residents asked
Community activist Christopher Newman said he isn't taking sides, but wants the process done right. "I'm neither for nor against data centers. I just want us to do whatever it takes to get it right the first time," he said, adding that whatever ordinance and protections the community settles on should protect everyone.
Amazon says the project would bring jobs, but Posey County resident Shannon Straw wants assurances those jobs go to people who live there. "We don't need remote workers or a hybrid mix. We need actual people to come and work in our county," she said.
Keith Klein, AWS director of data center solutions, said the company wants to keep hearing from residents, including skeptics. "We want to hear from the community and we want to build something together," he said.
Amazon said it's likely to hold more public events like this one as plans develop.
The ordinance
The open house follows weeks of debate over how the county should regulate data centers. On Oct. 1, the Posey County Area Plan Commission resumed a public hearing that had been paused the week before after hours of discussion, and voted to adopt a data center ordinance, WFIE reported at the time. Dozens of people in the audience wore red shirts in protest.
Officials described the nearly 40-page ordinance as an attempt to cover all the bases. It defines what a data center is and sets height limits, noise limits, setbacks, size limits and more. It also requires a development plan covering utility use, including electricity and water, along with construction and how a data center would affect the environment.
"A lot of what we were adding is just protections from industrial to other zone property, especially residential property," said Joseph Marvel, president of the Posey County Area Plan Commission.
The commission's vote was a recommendation. The ordinance goes next to the county commissioners. At that hearing, an attorney with an Evansville-based firm representing Amazon Web Services said Amazon was in the early stages and had made a lot of changes to its proposal.
What we don't know
The reports haven't identified a specific site, the size of the facility, a cost estimate or a timeline. Those are the details that will turn a proposal into a project.
Why it matters for contractors
The size of a Posey County facility hasn't been announced, but data center jobs typically need heavy site work, concrete, steel, a lot of electrical and mechanical work, and utility connections. Amazon pointing to CenterPoint's spare grid capacity suggests the power side is part of the appeal.
The ordinance matters just as much. Setbacks, height and noise limits, and a required development plan covering construction and utility use will shape how any data center in the county is designed and built. Contractors should follow the ordinance through the county commissioners and watch for Amazon's next public event. Local hiring came up at this open house, which could become an opening for area firms and tradespeople if a project moves forward.