fgazette.com Community news site for Union Parish Louisiana
Tyler Bridges NOLA.com
Meta data center in northeast LA transforms local government: ‘Coming into the modern world’
Cecil Reddick dealt with the typical constituent requests after he was elected to the Richland Parish Police Jury in rural northeast Louisiana: repair roads, upgrade drainage and demolish dams built by beavers that were now flooding roadside ditches.
Then, in late 2024, Gov. Jeff Landry and executives with Meta announced shocking news: the California-based company planned to build a massive data center to power AI computing, in fields where corn, rice, cotton and soybeans were grown.
Now, residents constantly seek out Reddick, the police jury president, approaching him at the local Walmart or interrupting his meal at Waffle House.
“My phone never quits ringing,” Reddick said during a recent interview, adding that he’s happy to help.