Clinton County Is at a Fork in the Road.
Generations of local leaders built an industrial park second to none for a county our size, along with excellent parks, a strong library, and a beautifully maintained downtown square and courthouse. Our airport and four‑lane highway connect us to the national interstate system, and an army of volunteers powers the non‑profits and events that keep this community’s heart beating. These strengths did not “drop out of the sky”; they came from hard work and vision.
Now we face another major fork in the road. As rail service declined and farming’s share of local income shrinks, Clinton County has to continually reinvent itself, and that evolution continues today. The choices we make now, including how we respond to state issues like SB1 and their impact on education and our future workforce, carry real risk and uncertainty in any direction.
Clinton County has an opportunity to welcome a Data Center project representing an initial $10–12 billion investment, with the potential to grow to as much as $50 billion. For perspective, that is on the scale of Indiana’s total state expenditures in a year and would bring at least 650 permanent jobs, including more than 500 at an associated casting plant. The resulting millions in local tax revenue and private investment could help our community sustain itself, grow, and maximize its potential.
In the last 70 days, visits to two Data Center sites revealed nothing that would justify a flat “no” to this opportunity, provided it is done the right way. Key issues such as closed‑loop water cooling, appropriate setbacks, minimal abatements, light and sound pollution, electric grid capacity, and the community orientation and environmental sensitivity of our prospective corporate neighbor all matter greatly in judging the wisdom of this fork‑in‑the‑road decision.
Three elected Clinton County Commissioners will ultimately make this decision. Residents must rely on their discernment and hold them and our new neighbor accountable to the high standards that have made this a great place to live, work, and play.
In the end, it is not only what we do, but how we do it that will define Clinton County’s future and whether we become a model for integrating a data center into a thriving, proud and growing community.
Can we do this?
I have confidence in our ability to get this done.
Russ Kaspar
