Q & A

Questions and Answers

Yes.  Intel’s Emily Smith, in a recent newsletter, indicated internship positions in “engineering, software development, and everything in between” will be available.  The job listings at Intel.com/Ohio include engineering, chemistry, materials sciences, and other intern positions posted.

The Licking County Transportation Improvement District is a transportation implementation organization founded to implement important transportation infrastructure projects in Licking County, particularly ones involving multiple jurisdictional corridors.  Though originally seeded by funding from the Licking County Commissioners, Licking County Engineer, and Port Authority, the TID is self-sustaining in its funding approach based on cooperative agreements and a project fee associated with its various projects.

This answer from Kent Scarrett, Executive Director, Ohio Municipal League and Newark native:

Communities work best when they work together.

Amid constantly changing circumstances, communities across Ohio continue to successfully compete for jobs, development projects, borders – and even bragging rights – that sometimes challenge the ability of political subdivisions and their leaders to work in a collaborative manner, without losing sight of the forest for the trees.

Much like relationships in our personal lives, there are certain principles that local government leaders can use to create the building blocks of trust and long-term working relationships. The principles consist of the most fundamental hallmarks of effective communication skills, such as: taking the time to communicate and understand each community’s characteristics and priorities for the future; a commitment to building relationships; and an appreciation for the understanding that to be truly successful, there must be an enduring commitment to work together.

These basic principles will be a significant driver for the future success of all areas of our state.

No.

Under Ohio law, one municipality cannot incorporate another municipality.  There’s no reasonable scenario where Johnstown, or any incorporated municipality in Licking County for that matter, can be annexed into New Albany.

Intel is under construction with two “fabs” right now.  Intel has indicated that as many as eight fabs are potential over the next 10+ years.  Passage of the CHIPS Act gives a sense that is possible.  At one time, the estimated Intel direct employment was 10,000 at full build-out.

That number would be less than are currently employed at the New Albany International Beauty Park between Mink and Beech in the Jersey Township side of New Albany.  See Page 2 of the Insight newsletter in May at http://www.welcomeintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WelcomeIntel-Insight-Issue-1_web.pdf.

According to Intel, interns and co-ops will start in 3Q 2023.  The students will go to Arizona facilities in the summer and return to school in the fall.

At the Licking County Chamber of Commerce much of our focus revolves around assisting small businesses succeed.  Since Intel is a member and will be located within our county, we will definitely relay your question to see how we can help facilitate your request and learn more about their plans to help Ohio businesses.   In the meantime, you may want to check out the Intel Ohio website that talks about their community commitments:  https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/intel-in-ohio.html?wapkw=Ohio.

Duncan Plains Road is among the local roads being explored under a traffic study and engineering study led by the Licking County Transportation Improvement District.  Funding from the Ohio Dept. of Transportation was received to make that possible to proceed.

See a map from the May edition of the Insight newsletter online at https://www.welcomeintel.com/potential-road-improvements/.

Look for updates on the traffic impact study in future website news and newsletters.

No. This rumor is not true.  The Welcome Intel Task Force has heard the repeated rumors of a cargo airport or large commercial airport being built in the Western part of Licking County.

There’s zero evidence and no real conversations about a new airport being built in the area. The Intel site is about 20 minutes away from John Glenn International Airport for passenger traffic and less than 40 minutes away from Rickenbacker International Airport for cargo shipments. The proximity of these existing airport facilities makes the extensive effort to create and construct a new airport in Licking County highly unlikely.

However, there are airport projects in the county that could be a spark to this persistent, false rumor.  For one, the County Airport in Heath has received $2.4 million in Federal funding to construct a new terminal building on Heath Road.  It’s a safety improvement to move the current terminal further from the taxiway.  It’s not expanding the  length of the runway or converting it to something other than what it is–a general aviation airport.

This from Intel:

Intel offers a variety of resources for educators.

Ask some of your fellow Licking Countians.  Donning a cleanroom garment as part of the workday is more common in Licking County than anyplace in Ohio.  Today, there’s more than 250,000 sq.ft. of cleanroom space already part of the workplaces in the county—the largest concentration in Ohio.  The number is growing with Intel.

Intel has indicated there will be 3,000 employees at the plant in the first few years working in three shifts.  It’s not widely known, but there are already 18,000 employees commuting to work in the New Albany International Business Park, which, it’s estimated, includes more than 10,000 into Licking County.

As many commuters know, existing growth in the past few years already has created slowdowns on St. Rt. 161.  At the time of the Intel announcement, the Ohio Dept. of Transportation indicated plans and funding to see St. Rt. 161 widened from US62 west to I-270.

Other regional growth over the past decade has created some problems, such as the intersection of U.S. 62 and St. Rt. 37 in downtown Johnstown.  This problem exists irrespective of Intel’s plans.  Johnstown’s elected leaders are aware of the problem and are working on a solution.  The Insight will report their progress in future editions.

A number of planned road improvements are to be made as part of the Intel plant development.   Additionally, future improvements are being sought as part of advocacy by Licking County leaders. There are details in the May 2022 edition of  Insight.

At a public hearing with the Planning Commission in New Albany prior to annexation, a representative for the developer indicated that roadways like Green Chapel Road and Mink Street will be widened using existing right of way and purchased property.  The widenings will not involve land outside of the land recently annexed into New Albany.

The TID will learn by late June the funding decisions on the traffic study which is the trigger for starting.  It should take two months to complete. Meanwhile, funding requests for engineering and for construction are already being sought from state and federal sources.

Infrastructure that are experiencing issues now are the things that need the most attention as more jobs come to the area.

Johnstown-Monroe Schools, for example, are part of a long-standing tax arrangement that promises a revenue stream from the development at Intel and surrounding properties regardless of the number of students that are taken in as a result of growth.

Of course, the number of students entering a given school or district will depend on factors that are hard to know or attempt to predict right now.  Intel is projecting 3,000 employees with the first two fabs.  70% of those are “technicians” and, many predict, will come from the sort of manufacturing and trade positions that are already a part of our community’s existing workforce and pipeline of the future workforce.

See Page 2 of the recent Insight newsletter.  Lauren Massie of C-TEC writes more about the type of technician jobs.  She reports that “HVAC and facility maintenance technicians” are more than 1/3 of the future jobs.  These are in-demand jobs in Licking County right now and are being filled at other manufacturers.

The Ohio EPA has jurisdiction on air quality permitting and indicated, “Larger facilities such as Intel must apply for a Permit-to-Install (PTI) before constructing a facility.  A PTI allows the company to operate the source for up to a year after they complete construction before they must apply for a new Title V operating permit.” See the Ohio EPA fact sheet.

Also, Ohio EPA indicated, with regard to wetlands impacts, “Anyone who wishes to discharge dredged or fill material into isolated wetlands in Ohio must obtain an Isolated Wetland Permit from Ohio EPA.”  See the Ohio EPA fact sheet.

Intel Project fact sheets from Ohio EPA are linked to above.

This from New Albany:  The City of New Albany contracts with the City of Columbus to provide water treatment service. The City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities Division of Sewerage and Drainage operates two wastewater treatment plants, the Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant. Wastewater from Columbus and 25 contracting suburban communities (including the City of New Albany) flows to one of these two plants.  The Intel project site will discharge to the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant.  The Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant has an average daily design flow of 114 million gallons per day (MGD) with a peak capacity of 330 MGD. Ultimately, the plant discharges treated water into the Scioto River.  According to the City of Columbus, the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant has undergone numerous upgrades in recent years to keep pace with central Ohio’s growth and Ohio EPA regulatory requirements.

Additionally, Intel will build a water reclamation facility at the site. This is consistent with two recent builds in Oregon and Arizona. Officials in both Arizona and Oregon have been interviewed and provided references for Intel’s sustainability practices.  To stay up-to-date on the latest information please reference the following site: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/intel-in-ohio.html.  Please click here to access a PDF that provides answers to frequently asked questions about the Silicon Heartland project and the environment which may also be helpful.

The $20 Billion new Intel plants use a reported 5 million gallons per day.  Water will be provided by the City of Columbus and its existing water resources, such as the Hoover Reservoir.