Data center developers boasted partnership with JCCC. College says not the case
At least two data center developers in rural Johnson County working to get projects off the ground have promised benefits to their surrounding community, including promoting partnerships with Johnson County Community College.
Now, the college is now pushing back on both of the developers’ promotions, alleging that discussions for a formal partnership never happened nor do any partnerships exist.
The college’s pushback comes as data center developers are facing mounting pressure to make the case that they’ll be good neighbors to the communities they want to build in. Both locally and nationally, the projects have been met with resistance from residents worried about the potential environmental and health risks of the massive operations.
San Francisco-based data center developer Beale Infrastructure — which is building a $3 billion, four-building campus south of Kansas Highway 10 in De Soto — said that the company was “actively engaged” with Johnson County Community College (JCCC), aiming to build out “enhanced workforce and educational partnerships,” according to a May press release from Beale.
“In aligning with JCCC, Beale aims to create a sustainable pipeline for high-tech careers, while fostering a local robust talent pool that will drive De Soto’s growth into the future,” the company said in the press release.
But the college says otherwise.
“There is no partnership agreement between Beale Infrastructure and Johnson County Community College, nor has there been talks of what a partnership would look like,” a JCCC spokesperson said in a statement to The Star.
Beale’s efforts
Beale officials recently promoted the partnership during a June open house at De Soto High School. According to KSHB 41 reporting, a Beale spokesperson said the company launched a $250,000 community investment fund, with dollars going to projects in the city and to Johnson County Community College.
The college later contacted KSHB, according to reporting, saying that no partnership or funding arrangement exists.
A Beale spokesperson told The Star in an email that the company is “committed to supporting and developing local workforce development opportunities” to connect community members to job opportunities at its data center in De Soto.
“We have had preliminary and ongoing conversations with various stakeholders as we work to establish ongoing partnerships in De Soto,” the spokesperson said. “We stand behind our community first approach in supporting local nonprofits, foundations, and educational institutions, and look forward to ongoing conversations with De Soto stakeholders.”
Similar pledge in Edgerton
Like Beale, Dubai-based DAMAC Digital Solutions — which is proposing a 382,924-square-foot data center in Edgerton — said on its website that the company is exploring partnerships with JCCC to help connect Edgerton residents with skills needed for careers in data center construction and operations.
But, again, JCCC officials said in a statement that the college is not in discussions with DAMAC about a partnership, nor does it have an established partnership with the developer.
DAMAC didn’t respond for a comment before publication.
The project in Edgerton is still in the approval process. The Edgerton Planning Commission recently denied the project in June, but it was appealed to the City Council — which is scheduled to vote on the project on July 16.
