By JIM BUTLER 

The England Authority at its meeting today will hear any opposition to creating a subdistrict to provide for a multi-billion dollar data center near Boyce. 

Anyone wishing to speak at the 4 p.m. session, about the center or any other item on the agenda, must fill out a card of intent prior to the meeting. Individual comment is limited to three minutes. Those provisions are standard at Authority meetings. 

The meeting agenda includes the Authority’s intent to vote on the matter following the hearing. 

While data centers have run into issues in some areas no groundswell has been detected regarding this one since it became public knowledge in January. 

Details of the incentive package agreed to by Louisiana Central, the regional economic development entity,  and Applied Digital, the Dallas-based developer, are to this point shielded by non-disclosure agreement.  Applied’s recent loss of a major equity holder, Nvidia, has apparently not adversely impacted its Rapides project plan. 

Concerns most often heard regarding data centers are the volume of water and electricity needed to run and maintain the information-storing technology. 

Company plans to use natural gas-powered steam generators may allay some of those concerns. 

Details of a proposed payment in lieu of taxes likewise are under wraps to this point. 

Today’s agenda also includes two items relative to the ongoing national purge of illegal immigrants. 

One is an intergovernmental agreement between the district and Homeland Security and ICE. 

The other is a proposed Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with LaSalle Corrections Transport to use two buildings and about 10 acres as a staging center. 

According to records, LCT is not corporately affiliated with a detention facility in LaSalle Parish near Jena and operated by GEO Group. 

LCT is affiliated with LaSalle Corrections, which operates about 20 sites in Louisiana, Texas and Georgia.