LAS CRUCES – Doña Ana County is preparing to accept applications from residents interested in serving on an 11-member committee that will help plan a future public town hall concerning Project Jupiter, the massive data center campus under construction in Santa Teresa.
County Economic Development Director Denisse Carter outlined the proposal during the July 14 meeting of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners.
Committee members would review questions submitted by residents, determine which issues should be addressed and help identify experts qualified to answer those questions. The group would also assist in developing the town hall’s structure and format.
Two residents would be selected from each of four commission districts. Commission Chair Manuel Sanchez would select three residents from his district, bringing the committee’s total membership to 11. County officials said the selections are intended to provide broad and diverse community representation.
Applications will be accepted through July 31. However, the county says the Project Jupiter committee application is still being developed and will be posted on the county website soon. Applications will also be made available in person. No date has been announced for the town hall.
The planning committee follows criticism surrounding a June 17 Project Jupiter open house and career fair. Some residents said that event, which was organized by project representatives, did not provide the county-led public forum they had requested.
County officials describe the new committee as an effort to improve transparency and accountability surrounding the development.
During the July 14 meeting, Carter also reported that figures provided by Oracle showed approximately 2,200 construction jobs were created between October and June, with about 20 percent of those positions held by New Mexico residents. County officials are also working with Doña Ana Community College to develop training for at least 750 permanent positions expected when the data center begins operating.
The Project Jupiter-specific application is not online yet, so Bravo Mic Communications News cannot currently direct residents to an application link without creating possible confusion. The appropriate link will be provided once Doña Ana County publishes the official application.
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