For years, we’ve been told this is the deal: give the biggest corporation in the room a break, and the rest of us will come out ahead.

But at some point, “incentive” turns into “subsidy,” and “partnership” starts to feel like permission. Permission to take more than you give, to grow faster than a community can support, and to call it success as long as the buildings look ‘beautficationed’ from the highway.

The Dalles deserves better than being a bargain-priced host. We’re not anti-business. We’re pro-fairness. Pay what you owe, tell the truth about what you use, and invest in the schools and systems that keep this town alive.

Tax obligation for Google’s first data center gets murky with retooling of site. While tax revenues have dropped in recent years, Google will be on the hook for initial property taxes and fees that will be due on its new data center this coming November.

Healthcare students at Columbia Gorge Community College will soon benefit from enhanced simulated learning opportunities designed to mirror real-world healthcare settings.

Google announced more than $70,000 in support for Wasco County school districts and other local organizations that provide services to children and families in the Columbia River Gorge.

Water treatment chemical purchase increases as city plans for increased water use as Google data centers are being constructed at a rapid pace.

The City and County are at a true crossroads when looking to the future - they have the happy problem of a lot of money and how to manage it responsibly. Wednesday’s meeting was a contrast between two ideas. Spend Google dollars as they receive them on worthy projects and or reduce taxes now, or put it into an endowment and have money to use later? Forever.

Sorosis Park was buzzing with activity this morning as a diverse group of volunteers gathered for a weed pulling event organized by Google and North Wasco County Parks and Recreation District.

Today marks a significant milestone in the Right to Repair movement as the Oregon House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at empowering consumers and supporting small businesses and companies committed to making more sustainable products.

New funding from Google will support a regional effort to build both climate and economic resilience in the Columbia River Gorge. Google is providing $150,000 to The Dalles-based nonprofit Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D). 

The 2.79 acres purchased at 4375 RiverTrail Way near Taylor Lake and the Google 3 data plant were alive with some 15 construction workers today, Dec. 15. They were erecting a demonstration facility to mine the air of its carbon dioxide or CO2, in a step to prevent the earth from getting too hot for humans.

Contractors at the new Google data center site were busy this afternoon, Nov. 28. The walls for the first of two data centers were erected for the first 288,000-square-foot facility months ago. Google’s contractor Whiting-Turner has now submitted a second request to site and construct the second data center at 290,000 square feet to the City of The Dalles planning department.

The Dalles Area Chamber, in collaboration with Google, is excited to present a FREE training session for Nonprofit Board and Leadership on October 19, 2023, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. This engaging training will take place at CGCC/Theatre Room located at 400 E Scenic Drive, The Dalles. This opportunity was made possible by a Google Community Grant.

Travis Fox of Springfield, Oregon, is just one of the dozens of workers brought into The Dalles to work indirectly or directly on projects related to Google’s new data center. The site at 3500 River Road is being prepped for construction and City Planning says they are expecting a building permit any day now.

Crews were drilling at the corner of Crates Way and River Road on Thursday, Nov. 17, as 12 new power poles will be erected in the Port of The Dalles in weeks to come. The Power poles lead to Google’s new data center site at 3500 River Road.

“Over the years, Google has taken the time to learn about the issues important to our community,” said The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays. “And we’re glad to see the company’s continued support of local solutions created to address local needs.”

The Dalles Community Development Director Joshua Chandler recently signed the approval of an administrative decision to allow Google to site and construct one single-story data center with a separate office building and associated infrastructure.

Google's first data center in The Dalles went online in 2007 and had been exempt from property taxes in Wasco County for the past 15 years. With the expiration of the enterprise zone abatement, this property is fully taxable and now on the tax roll this year.

CGCC expands job training at Skills Center with the addition of CNC milling equipment through a grant funded by Google. “This equipment is part of the future of automated manufacturing -- everything from farm equipment to furniture to airplanes,” said the college’s president, Dr. Marta Cronin. “Our students can now master this technology before they enter the workforce, launching them into family-wage jobs.”

The City of The Dalles has received a request to approve the construction of a single 290,000-square-foot data center on Google-owned property in the Port of The Dalles. “We’re happy to see them progress,” said The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays. “I am happy this is happening so quickly.”

Oregon Tradeswomen’s Mary Ann Naylor said it is a perfect time for women and people of color to enter the trade industry. Major projects in the gorge could call for huge demand from skilled professionals. A recent $150,000 grant from Google is opening up opportunities at both state and local levels. “Tell them to be tough-skinned to get through their apprenticeship and the world is your oyster, said local Electrician Brennah Miller, “and you can go anywhere.”