OpenAI and Effingham County announced a $2 million grant on October 22, 2026, for the first phase of Atlas Park’s walking and biking trail system. Project Camellia, OpenAI’s proposed $20 billion data-center campus near Rincon, remains under county review, according to Effingham County.
What the Atlas Park grant is for
The grant is intended to fund a walking and biking trail system in the first phase of Atlas Park, a planned recreation project in Effingham County. Local reports described the $2 million announcement as one contribution within a broader $80 million OpenAI community-benefit commitment, with local input intended to shape the larger fund’s allocation.
What remains in the Project Camellia review
Effingham County says the review process is incomplete. Its Project Camellia resource page lists zoning verification, regional-impact and site-plan reviews, permits, inspections, and a final certificate of occupancy among the steps ahead of construction and operation.
Project Camellia is planned for the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon. WJCL reported that construction was expected to begin in phases in 2028 and continue through 2032. That is the reported schedule; the county’s review remains in progress.
The county’s plans for water and noise
Effingham County describes closed-loop cooling and treated surface water, rather than groundwater, as planned project measures. The county also describes a noise study, monitoring around the site’s perimeter, and public reporting of water-use data after operations begin. These are plans and commitments in the county’s project account.
What local business owners said
Tim Long, a local business owner who attended an OpenAI training session, told WTOC that answers he had heard about water and electricity had made him more satisfied. He also said time would tell. Geoff Thatcher, owner of Creative Principals, voiced support for data centers and argued that businesses should learn to use AI.
Local reporting has also described concerns about transparency, electricity demand, water, traffic, noise, and the campus’s proximity to homes and schools.
