The Crossroads Journal

By Emily Fotheringham

 Residents of Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain have some new neighbors moving to the area and they look a little like James Bond. The National Security Agency has revealed plans to build a new data center at Camp Williams; a move that will take years to complete, and upwards of a billion dollars.

According to The National Security Agency’s (NSA) website, “The NSA/CSS core missions are to protect U.S. national security systems and to produce foreign signals intelligence information.”

It continues, “The Information Assurance mission confronts the formidable challenge of preventing foreign adversaries from gaining access to sensitive or classified national security information. The Signals Intelligence mission collects, processes, and disseminates intelligence information from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes and to support military operations. This Agency also enables Network Warfare operations to defeat terrorists and their organizations at home and abroad, consistent with U.S. laws and the protection of privacy and civil liberties.”

The new data center will be approximately 1 million square feet, built on over 120 acres of land at Camp Williams. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer and has already been given a $181 million financial boost approved by Congress and President Obama.

The original data center is located in Maryland, but has been looking to expand. The project has been shrouded in some secrecy, but it has been reported that the high number of bilingual residents in Utah (many being returned missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), played a role in attracting the NSA. The Agency is also working on a center in San Antonio.

It has been reported that the new data center will use a huge amount of power, basically the same amount of every home in Salt Lake City combined. Rocky Mountain Power is already fielding questions about what effect such a large drain on the system will have on consumers.

Bud Poduska, a City Councilman for Saratoga Springs, states in an email, “From a City Council perspective, the NSA project is full of pluses for Saratoga Springs.  The construction of the facility will provide temporary employment, and the need for around-the-clock security personnel, technical specialists, and administrators will provide permanent employment. Saratoga Spring’s close proximity will offer housing, retail shops and places to eat.  I believe the presence of the NSA project will also add dynamism to the community. Our newly expanded Redwood Road, and the soon to be completed Pioneer Crossing and Pony Express connection with Eagle Mountain will greatly enhance the transportation requirements associated with a project as large as the NSA. I enthusiastically welcome the arrival of the NSA project and believe it will be a great addition to our community.”

By Emily Fotheringham

 Although it might come as a surprise to some people, there are currently no areas in Eagle Mountain designated for off-highway vehicles. Residents are welcome to ride off highway vehicles (OHV), such as four wheelers and dirt bikes, on their own property, but up until now, no paths have been available for OHV use. Eagle Mountain’s Mayor Heather Jackson has been working on changing that, by cooperating with others in creating trails for recreation use. Mayor Jackson met with landowners who were having issues with OHV users riding on their private property. Together they worked out an answer in the form of creating trails that OHV fans could legally ride. Jackson states, “We have some trails on Lake Mountain Road and in the newly annexed Pole Canyon area that connect to Five Mile Pass. We hope to connect all the trails together.” The biggest hurdle, however, has been in working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). According to Jackson the city has spent the last six months waiting for the (BLM) to respond. They are anticipating having a “memo of understanding” ready for when the City Council first meets in February, and then will have to wait on the BLM for funds and guidelines. The city has fielded a number of requests from OHV enthusiasts requesting areas to ride, and Mayor Jackson wants residents to know, “We are excited to provide more outdoor recreational opportunities for our residents and visitors and just ask for everyone to continue to be patient as we work through this process with BLM.”