SOCIAL CIRCLE – Just a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Effingham County, where OpenAI recently announced its $20 billion data center project, is Walton County, where data centers from Meta have called home since 2019. On Wednesday, a group of about 20 Effingham County officials and residents traveled to the Stanton Springs Business Park in Social Circle, which has 13 data center facilities. They heard from economic development leaders and elected officials, asking questions about taxes, water use, energy demands and community impacts. They toured the industrial park and stood outside the data centers, trying to catch a glimpse of what Effingham County’s OpenAI future might look like. The Development Authority of Walton County organized the visit. Representatives from Effingham County's Board of Commissioners, Industrial Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce and more attended, along with residents who have raised concerns about the OpenAI project. Each participant paid for their own travel. “We didn’t just want ‘yes-men’ on this trip,” Brandt Herndon, president and CEO of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, said. Walton County Development Authority President and CEO Shane Short said he regularly hosts visitors from across the Southeast interested in learning about the community's data centers. "We're just sharing our story," Short said. "This has been a very positive experience for us." This was Short’s first time hosting a group from Effingham County…
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