Google is set to build a $600 million data center in western Iowa according to an announcement from the state’s Governor, Chet Culver.
The 55 acre site is expected to employ 200 people with an average salary of $50,000, lending an economic jolt to the region.
The Sioux City Journal reports :
The center, which will be part of Google’s worldwide network of such sites, is expected to open in the spring of 2009 at the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation’s new business park. It will house computers that run the search engine’s services. Workers there will include software and data center technicians as well as maintenance and other facilities support.
There is plenty of room for expansion at the site, as Google purchased about 1,185 acres, according to state economic development officials. Google has said it is particularly interested in the central region of the United States because it is a crossroads for Internet activity.
In an effort aimed at attracting Google, Iowa lawmakers last session passed a bill that would exempt electricity and capital investment requirements from sales tax for computer-related businesses.
- Google gets a property tax break through 2024
- Google will end up paying about $65 million in property taxes over the next 15 years.
- Google also will pay an estimated $6 million in sales taxes over the next couple of years as it purchases building materials and utilities
- A recent upgrade to the local MidAmerican Energy Co. electric-generating station helped attract Google, which regards power reliability as a high priority
- Google says its trying to use local vendors and suppliers whenever possible
