CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Google announced its first round of community investments since making the announcement it will locate a data center in the Putnam County community of Buffalo.
Google will provide high dollar investments and donations to all area schools as well as the local senior center and fire department. The money will be for various improvements which were communicated to the company as they sought input from the local community. Google has indicated it plans to have more community meetings as plans to build their facility are developed. So far, those haven’t been scheduled.
“They said they want to make this an example when they came to the area of transparency and being a partner with the community and so far they’ve not given any indication other than that,” said Putnam County Senator Eric Tarr.
However, some were quickly skeptical. Social media posts were critical, accusing Google of trying to buy favor now, only to leave the state high and dry down the road. Many said it’s a familiar pattern West Virginia has seen many times before when big out of state corporate interests come to West Virginia. Tarr said he understood the generational cynicism, but hoped over time it would subside as times and situations change.
“It’s hard to accept now that we’re starting to see big things happen. I think as people start seeing the continuous employment, improvements in their communities and the improvements in the quality of life because of the revenue base generating in their community, I think we’ll start to see that change over time,” he explained.
Google indicated the announcements on Wednesday were just the first round of investments and there would be more to come. Tarr said it’s not unusual and pointed toward companies like Toyota and NuCor Steel who have come into the community and continued to make investments in the local quality of life and schools to be good neighbors.
“As far as a ‘new normal’, I don’t think it’s new. I think it happens, but we’re starting to see more and more of it because we have more Fortune 100 and 500’s locating here. When you come in and make that big of a presence in a community and you’re that big of an employer, you’re going to do that,” Tarr added.