During a special meeting last month, the board of the Economic Development Corp. of Clark County voted to sell a 991-acre tract known as the Southwest Arkansas Mega Site for $11.4 million. What's known in economic development circles as Project Pulse will see a data center campus built just south of Arkadelphia. At least $1 billion will be spent, and the project will create 150 high-paying jobs.

A trio of Atlanta-area consultants representing the unnamed buyer fielded questions from board members about the future use of the site, which is already equipped with utilities.

Joel Phelps wrote for The Arkadelphian: "It was said at the meeting that a data center won't over-burden the power grid nor will it increase residents' power bills. The center will use on-site natural gas transmission lines and grid power in coordination with utility companies. ... The site once was expected to be home to Chinese-owned Sun Paper, a project that fell through. In comparison with the paper mill, the representatives said, a data center will have far less of an environmental footprint with no air pollution and negligible noise pollution."

As an Arkadelphia native who has long hoped for a new user for this prime site, I view this as a big win. No, it won't bring 1,000 jobs as some were hoping. But consider this:

150 technology jobs are a huge deal in a county with a population of only 22,000.

The development corporation can use that $11.4 million to buy land in the area and prepare it for a user--a forest products facility or a battery producer, for instance--who might bring 1,000 jobs. Economic development corporations are in the land business. They must have shovel-ready locations to offer site selectors.

The consultants said the center could generate $60 to $70 million in annual tax revenue. Much of this money will go to the Arkadelphia School District. District voters recently supported a millage increase for a state-of-the-art high school. Increased tax revenue from a data center could make Arkadelphia one of the top districts in the south half of the state. Nothing attracts new residents like good public schools.

Despite such positives, the social media mob was out in force within minutes of the story posting online. Many........

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