JOHNSTOWN, Ohio — Saturday will mark one year since the groundbreaking ceremony of Intel near New Albany at which President Joe Biden attended and addressed the crowd on hand, celebrating jobs of the future here in central Ohio.
The $20 billion project is the largest in state history.
One year of construction later, there's still a lot more to go, but communities all around Intel haven’t stopped bracing for its impact.
"It is very, very daunting,” said Johnstown Mayor Donald Barnard.
Barnard, like other mayors in neighboring cities, said his community is at a crossroads because it’s on the edge of unprecedented growth. It will impact everything from housing to education.
"We're meeting with our school district once a week at this point to determine at what rate they can grow,” he explained.
Ready to welcome the new, while maintaining the cherished small-town feel, he said it is “very much a balancing act."
"It's really around housing, transportation, workforce and utilities,” said New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding. “And so those are things that we've been focused on for a long time. But Intel has really heightened the conversation to try to get some solutions to some of those problems.”
Local leaders are tasked with the responsibility of making sure the rapid growth happens in a meaningful way.
The official groundbreaking of Intel happened one year ago and included a visit from President Joe Biden.
"The future of the chip industry is made in America,” President Biden said.
Jobs of the future, to keep Ohioans home.
"Jobs that we could have never imagined ten years ago," Mayor Barnard said.
However local leaders said they know when it comes to all the big decisions around this multi-billion dollar project, residents want a seat at the table.
"We don't want to lose what makes Licking County special,” said Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb. “It's a blend of agriculture and local communities, and it has character. And we don't want that to get lost in the movement toward new industries. And we want to adapt and embrace the change and the opportunities. But it's also a challenge not to lose what we have.”
That's why long-term studies are underway, like this one. The Framework report for Licking County was just published Thursday and dives into every detail of the opportunities and the challenges.
One finding on housing from the report: Intel will cause an increase in demand, but is not likely to overwhelm the housing system.
In Johnstown, a similar study is underway right now.
"This is small-town America and the people who have moved here, moved here for that reason,” Barnard said.