Support for this edition comes from Imagination Station, Lafayette’s Children’s Science Museum. On Sept. 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Imagination Station will be hosting its 25th annual “Hands On Transportation.” At this free event, children and families will have the chance to explore a wide variety of vehicles up close – from fire trucks and police cruisers to construction equipment, buses, a helicopter and more! It’s an unforgettable opportunity for kids to learn, explore and interact with a wide range of fascinating machines. There will also be food trucks, ice cream, arts and crafts, a racing simulator and a silent auction. For more information, visit www.imagination-station.org
NOT A BAN, BUT TIGHTER DATA CENTER ZONING REGS FOR TIPPECANOE COUNTY HEAD TO APC
Proposed regulations meant to make it as difficult as possible to plant a hyperscale data center in Tippecanoe County – 20-mile restrictions from the nearest data center, deep setbacks from property lines and requirements to power massive computer server warehouses mainly with wind and solar energy – got even tighter Wednesday.
The Area Plan Commission’s Ordinance Committee, the first stop on new zoning codes, dropped in a handful of additional rules into a three-page set of regulations already proposed for future data center developments in the county.
Among what was added: a provision that would require developers to pay for all necessary energy grid improvements so local customers didn’t get stuck covering higher rates; come with community benefits agreements aimed to help schools and other local needs; pay for any fire training and equipment deemed necessary for local stations to respond to emergencies; and cover the costs of upgrades needed for city wastewater treatment facilities.
“Somebody who came in would have to want to make a substantial investment to get it done,” Tippecanoe County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh said Wednesday, after the ordinance committee sent the proposed zoning codes to the full Area Plan Commission for consideration in two weeks.
Still, there were calls during Wednesday’s meeting for the cities and county to close the door all together on data centers, as some other communities have.
