Looking to keep the community’s justice center in comfortable, working order, Trigg County magistrates Monday night voted 6-0 in favor of a $779,970 contract with Murtco — officially beginning the process of critical HVAC renovations to the Cadiz crown jewel.
Citing an overall outlandish cost of the project, state reimbursements aside, Mike Wright opted to abstain from the decision.
Judge-Executive Stan Humphries confirmed that — while the county does absorb the up-front cost — state appropriations do come for such facilities through the Administrative Office of the Courts, and this bid was the lowest recommended by Bacon Farmer Workman Marcum.
In other fiscal court news:
+ Magistrates approved a $12,000 budget for the county’s election officers, commissioners and polling places, all of which have been preparing for Tuesday, May 19.
+ Magistrate Cameron Sumner, who is not running for re-election, did mention that he would like to see the body discuss the future of data centers — and either their place, or not, in Trigg County.
Sumner noted that Daviess County and Owensboro just put a one-year moratorium on data center development in their community, and that multiple lawsuits have now been filed in Simpson County over a potential location. According to Lisa Autry, of WKU Public Radio, TenKey LandCo wants to build an AI data center campus with on-site power manufacturing on 200 acres near I-65, and a preliminary plan was approved in March.
According to the Pew Research Center, data facilities are extremely energy-intensive, and that in 2024, such centers consumed more than 180 terawatt-hours, about 4% of the nation’s electricity. By 2030, that’s expected to be 426 terawatt-hours, which today would be more than 10% of the country’s grid.
