Businessman Steve Landers Jr. is planning to open another cryptocurrency mine, this time in Vilonia. If all goes as planned, the mine will open in the fourth quarter of this year, he said. The Vilonia Planning Commission is set to discuss the mine at the commission meeting Thursday.
Landers said he wants the Vilonia community to know this will not harm the city in any way.
“This site will not be a concern for anyone because it will literally look and act like any other metal building that you walk by that you don’t even know what’s inside of it,” he said.
The noise level of the mine will be negligible, he added. In addition, he said the mines use only excess grid power, do not use water and pose no national security threats. His mines also do not raise any concerns about foreign ownership, he added.
He said he currently operates two crypto mines in Arkansas, and five more are under development.
Landers came under fire for opening a crypto mine in Lonoke County about a month ago, but Dustin Curtis, vice president of Landers’ company, Interstate Holdings, said most Cabot residents did not even notice when the mine opened. He said Interstate Holdings invited city officials from Vilonia to view the Cabot mine, which has been well received by Cabot officials since opening.
“We invited the mayor of Cabot out. He brought the police chief, the fire chief. They came to check it out, got a full tour, and they were like, ‘Oh, this thing’s so quiet,’” Curtis said. “We’re using the best equipment available, and it’s night and day different than the ones that everybody complains about.”
Landers said the mines provide tax revenue and stimulate the local economy. In addition, he said his company reserves machine slots to be used by locals in the communities where the mines operate.
“If somebody wants to buy some machines and put them in there, we’ll operate them for them,” he said. “We’ll do that on an ongoing basis, so everybody gets an opportunity to participate in the bitcoin economy.”
He added that the company also designates some miners for local schools and participates in schools’ esports and science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.
“It’s something that will provide ongoing revenue to the city, to the school and, you know, hopefully be able to teach the younger generation about this where they can benefit in their future,” he said. “That’s important to us.”
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