Dr. Christy Ponce, Temple College president, said the college looks forward to partnering with Meta after its 2024 launch. Courtesy photo

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

The opening of Temple College’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center will align with Meta’s early 2024 launch in Temple, and TC President Christy Ponce says the college looks forward to partnering with the company to train a pipeline of employees ready for science and technology careers.

Construction on TC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center — a project that is part of the $124.9 million bond approved in May 2021 — will begin later this year, Ponce said.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced Thursday plans to open a 900,000-square-foot data center on 393 acres in northwest Temple.

“We welcome Meta to the community and are so grateful for the incredible careers that will be available in Temple because of Meta’s presence,” Ponce said. “We are excited to connect the Meta team with talented Temple College graduates trained through our innovative and high-tech training programs such as cyber security, computer science and engineering technology.”

“These programs, along with data analytics and other Industry 4.0-infused programs under development, represent some of the programming to be housed in the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center,” she said.

According to Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of Temple Economic Development Corporation, Meta will employ about 100 full-time workers as well as about 1,250 construction workers during peak construction.

Temple is giving Meta a 75-percent property tax break for the first 10 years as part of the deal to bring the social media giant to town, but City Manager Brynn Myers said the city is still projected to receive just under $7 million a year in property taxes. Myers said Bell County, Temple ISD and Temple College also will get tax revenue. 

“It’s a significant project that brings significant revenue to our community that will allow the city to continue to invest in services and infrastructure,” Myers said. 

Meta also had made an $8 million contribution toward water and wastewater improvment that will benefit much of the city, as well as the Meta facility.

FRIDAY | APRIL 1, 2022