{"id":314038,"date":"2026-05-29T14:23:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/314038\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:23:24","slug":"can-data-center-project-help-texas-town-pay-for-repairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/314038\/","title":{"rendered":"Can data center project help Texas town pay for repairs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Waco Bridge<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0a nonprofit local news organization supported by The Texas Tribune, reporting on Waco government, education and community. Sign up for\u00a0the Bridge\u2019s free newsletter here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy<\/a>, and give us feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jim Wallingsford drove his white Chevy truck one morning last month down North Walnut Street in Lacy Lakeview, dodging potholes on his way to inspect a repair project on a sewer lift station.<\/p>\n

As public works director for this Waco suburb of 8,000 residents, Wallingsford is always triaging the city\u2019s needs: Cracked and cratered streets, aging pipes and pump stations and the old water tower, which needs a $1 million facelift.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Connally Lift Station under repair on April 16. The lift station pumps sewage from deeper underground to a higher elevation. \u201cYou know the shape that our streets are in, our water and sewer mains are in the same shape. We replace when we can and repair when we have to,\u201d Wallingsford said. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a good steward of the City of Lacy Lakeview with the money I\u2019m given to spend,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I give everything a weighted scale and I base it off of the likelihood and consequences of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OutOut of two water towers in Lacy Lakeview, this one needs significant repairs, including a new catwalk and paint. In the meantime Wallingsford said \u201cI wouldn\u2019t send anyone up there.\u201d Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

Lacy Lakeview, population 8,000, is typical of many small Texas towns that lack the resources to keep up with streets and pipes that are wearing out. Most of that infrastructure in Lacy Lakeview was installed more than 50 years ago. And the longer maintenance is deferred, the faster it deteriorates.<\/p>\n

\"WaterWater from the City of Waco is pumped into the storage tank on the right, before being pressurized with compressed air from the smaller tank, and pumped into the Lacy Lakeview\u2019s water system. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

Mayor Chuck Wilson has pointed to the city\u2019s maintenance backlog to justify the pursuit of a data center. He wants to partner with Infrakey to develop and annex a proposed $10 billion data center north of town near Ross. <\/p>\n

That development represents tax base that would increase Lacy Lakeview\u2019s tax base enough to increase city tax revenues from $6.5 million to $50 million a year. But the project has drawn a backlash from neighbors of the Infrakey site, as well as from some Lacy Lakeview residents, who just elected data center opponent Amy Gage to the City Council.<\/p>\n

\"CarsCars often crash into raised manhole covers along Route 77 in Lacy Lakeview. The city would replace or relocate the manholes with additional tax revenue from the proposed Infrakey data center. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

As Wallingsford sees it, the city needs new development, or the existing taxpayer and utility ratepayers will be on the hook for improvements. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that we purchase is going up, literally,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only other solution is that we have to have a rate increase just to be able to keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WallingsfordWallingsford said a dump truck will be the first pieces of equipment replaced once more funding is secured. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to get at least one dump truck,\u201d Wallingsford said. \u201c I\u2019d like to get two in this next year\u2019s budget because, you know, these dump trucks are 25 years old.\u201d The current maintenance outweighs the cost of the current fleet. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

Wallingsford stopped his truck at the Meyers water pump station, which was under repair after it was observed to be leaking. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe consequence of them failing is pretty high but their issues aren\u2019t critical and they continue to operate,\u201d he said. \u201cThe city only needs one pump to operate and we have three, so there\u2019s a backup.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Meyers Pump Station in Lacy Lakeview is outdated and in need of upgrade as of April 16. The pumps leak, even when they aren\u2019t running. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day when something fails, we go back and work off of the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wallingsford, a former city of Waco staffer, said utility infrastructure like this typically has a 50-year lifespan, and the ideal practice in public works is to set aside 2% of the system\u2019s cost each year for replacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t worked for a city that\u2019s ever done that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Even more visible is the wear and tear on Lacy Lakeview\u2019s 30 miles of city streets. Asked which ones need to be repaved, he didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of them,\u201d he said. \u201cThey all need to be done. I\u2019d say we have about 15 critical streets\u201d that need to be repaved.<\/p>\n

\"SouthSouth Barbara Street is the first street on the list to be repaired in Lacy Lakeview in 2026. The city currently has a 30-mile backlog of streets that need significant work. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

\"AA view down Avenue B at its intersection with South Barbara Street shows the contrast of before and after. Avenue B was rehabilitated last year using the city\u2019s \u201czipper\u201d recycling machine, while South Barbara Street, seen at center, awaits its fix. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

The city is now repairing and reconstructing streets using a $9.5 million bond issue that voters approved in 2024. To save money, the city is using its own workers and equipment to grind up and recycle pavement, which is then compacted and resealed.<\/p>\n

Among the most critical projects is Walnut Street, which is being reconstructed along with replacement of water, sewer, fiber optic and gas utilities under the street. That project is to be completed in February 2027.<\/p>\n

\"WallingsfordWallingsford explained: \u201cThat is what our guys do probably eight months out of the year. They use this zipper machine here to eat up the old asphalt. Then we compact it with a rolling machine over there, and then we come back and chip seal the existing roads. It\u2019s a cheaper way of getting the potholes out of the roads and giving the citizens a smoother surface to drive on.\u201d The equipment was purchased in a bond election to save the city money by paying outside contractors to repave the city\u2019s streets. Previously the maintenance department was only able to fill potholes. Justin Hamel\/The Waco Bridge\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on The Waco Bridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Waco Bridge\u00a0is\u00a0a nonprofit local news organization supported by The Texas Tribune, reporting on Waco government, education and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5304,27,29,293,28,7145,6748],"class_list":["post-314038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-data-centers","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-legislature","tag-texas-news","tag-waco","tag-well-b-homepage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}