Henry County, business leaders support proposed Knightstown tech park

New Castle Mayor Greg York told the planning commission that New Castle had about 24,000 people when he purchased his first business in the late 1970s.

York recalled a friend telling him at the time that New Castle and Henry County should not want to grow any bigger than that.

“I said in a real hurry, ‘you screw the lid on that jar,’” York said. “You don’t stay the same, (or) you become stagnant.”

The New Castle and Henry County communities lost thousands of residents when the Chrysler plant closed. York said the city has been working hard ever since to get back up to those 1970s numbers.

“I feel like this is an opportunity,” York said about the planned data center on I-70. “We’re competing in a worldwide situation.”

York said he is very interested in finding facts about how data centers impact surrounding communities and utility services. He said the current power grid cannot support the electricity needs of large technology companies.

The Henry County Technology Park plans include on-site natural gas power generation.

“We have the world’s largest companies wanting power now,” he said. “And if they’re willing to pay for it, and it’s not going to stress our grid, why would we not look in to every opportunity that we possibly have?”

York also appreciated that the project is being developed by Martz, a Springport resident, rather than by an out-of-state company.

Roger Hammer, president of the Knightstown Town Council and member of the Knightstown Redevelopment Commission, also spoke in favor of the technology park.

“This project represents a transformational economic catalyst for Knightstown and Henry County,” Hammer said. “This isn’t just about one development. It’s about building a foundation for our community’s revival.”

Hammer said the data center, if it is built, would help pay for new water and sewer service from Knightstown up the Ind. 109 corridor.

Hammer said a technology park would bring better infrastructure, which would bring new innovation to the area.

“We’re positioning Knightstown and Henry County to attract cutting edge employers who need what we have – immediate interstate access without congestion between Indianapolis and every city in the Midwest,” Hammer said. “Many rural communities would give anything to have this opportunity.”

Kyle Becker, from Sulphur Springs, added that the proposed technology park plans call for a “closed loop” water circulation system that would use far less water than data centers that had open systems.

Development is inevitable

Long-time businessman John Pidgeon spoke in favor of developing the area along Ind. 109 and I-70.

“I think the real issue here tonight is not about a data center. It’s about the development of the 109 interchange: Should it be further developed or not?” Pidgeon said.

Pidgeon said the underlying question is whether the Henry County community should embrace change or fight it.

“There are people here tonight who are deadset against any further development at the 109 interchange,” Pidgeon said.

Someone in the audience replied, “Yes.” Others said, “No we’re not.”

“I sympathize with your position, but you’ve already lost that fight,” Pidgeon continued. “Further development of the interchange is inevitable.”

Pidgeon said the question then becomes what does Henry County want to see built in that area.

“Would you like to see another truck stop, with hundreds of trucks rumbling in and out, all day and all night?” Pidgeon asked.

One person in the audience clapped at that suggestion.

“Or a bunch of warehouses and distribution centers, like you see at the Mount Comfort interchange?” Pidgeon asked.

“They provide jobs,” someone called out from the audience.

Planning Commission President Marsha Gratner quieted the audience.

Pidgeon continued, asking if people wanted to see hotels or housing developments built there.

“In my opinion, when you consider the possible options, a data center sounds pretty good,” Pidgeon said. “Low to the ground, unobtrusive, minimal noise and light pollution.”

Competing in the digital age

Corey Murphy, president and CEO of the New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corp., agreed that a technology park would attract new investment and job opportunities to Henry County.

He said approving a PUD and rezoning the land would prepare the site for new development.

“The developers are Hoosiers. They’re local: one from Shelby County, one from Henry County,” Murphy told the planning commission. “I have worked with them for nearly a decade on a variety of projects.”

Murphy said a data center would not have a significant impact on local traffic. At the same time tapping into the natural gas pipelines that are buried under Henry County.

“This project positively leverages this resource that none of us were responsible for putting there,” he said.

Murphy said the project would also help get Knightstown’s drinking water system to Interstate 70, something that he has been working on for more than a decade.

For his final point, Murphy held up a telephone shaped like the cartoon character Snoopy.

“Our county has two choices,” Murphy said. “Stay with the limited, no-growth opportunities that this beautiful, antique Snoopy phone represents, or we can compete in the modern digital age. The choice is clear for our kids and grandkids.”

Helping the community

DJ Weimer, whose family owns the land in question, told the planning commission, “This decision has not been quick, easy or self-serving.”

Weimer said his family believes in Knightstown and Henry County, and they believe the technology park represents an opportunity for responsible growth in the area.

“This project is not about outsiders taking over,” he said. “It’s about creating a future for our people.”

Lifelong Henry County resident Landon Dean also spoke in favor of the petition, saying he trusts the Weimer family to make the right decision.

Dean is the interim Knightstown Police Chief and is no stranger to government finances. He reminded everyone that Indiana legislators changed the property tax system this year, shrinking the budgets for rural communities like Knightstown.

“I don’t know how the local governments are going to do it,” Dean said. “I don’t have any clue how that’s going to happen without growth. I’ve always said if you don’t grow, you die. And there’s not a whole lot in between.”

Dean said a multi-million dollar investment would grow the tax base. The new taxes would help local emergency services.

“In Knightstown, in Wayne Township, we can’t even afford an ambulance right now,” he said.

Knightstown resident John Swartz agreed that new tax revenue would go a long way to helping with emergency services and fixing local roads.

Swartz also pointed out that people often push back against change. His closing comment was a quote often attributed to Henry Ford (although there is no record of Ford actually saying it): “If I’d asked them, they’d have wanted faster horses.”

Kevin Richey, a self-proclaimed “walking billboard for Knightstown,” said the community has to evolve and adapt if it wants to stay alive. At the same time, it is up to community members to hold the project developers and eventual data center company accountable to the submitted plans.

Richey said he is strongly opposed to the not-in-my-backyard philosophy.

“We all share the same big backyard,” he said.

Fourth-generation Henry County resident Gayla Taylor said she supports the Henry County Technology Park because she has researched it. She urged county officials to make sure strong guardrails are in place to protect the community.

Jerry Hartner said, “Everybody’s scared of change.”

He said, by way of example, that it took six years to get a cell tower in his area because people didn’t want to look at it.

Hartner said data centers are already here. Having one in Henry County would be a benefit to residents and governments, he said.