(La Porte, IN) - The City of La Porte is preparing for a major influx of workers that will soon begin constructing the buildings at the Microsoft data center facility.

Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, told the city’s Board of Public Works & Safety this morning an average of 2,000 to 4,000 workers will be at the site each day during the up to 10 year construction period.

He said the city has already reached out to businesses like restaurants and hotels to let them know what to expect since a percentage of those workers will likely be coming from outside the area.

“We want to be as prepared as we can possibly be for that,” he said.

The data center will consist of well over a dozen buildings on about 1,800 acres of what used to be farmland annexed by the city at the request of the property owners in the area of Boyd Boulevard and U.S. 35.

Cook expects construction of the buildings to begin at some point in the very near future.