Listen to the full interview on the Meeting with the Mayor Podcast

RAPID CITY, S.D. – From airport expansion plans to a proposed data center and concerns over children on social media, Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun covered a wide range of topics on the latest episode of Meeting With the Mayor, the weekly program airing on KKLS The Cowboy with host Murdoc.

Salamun said two major projects are moving forward with the Rapid City Council: an expansion of the Rapid City Regional Airport terminal and a new city maintenance facility. Both would use allocations from the city’s Vision Fund.

Regarding the maintenance facility, Salamun said current conditions are outdated and inadequate.

“It’s just old. It’s decades and decades and decades old,” he said. “We’re basically parking a lot of Ferraris out and Lamborghinis outside in all elements.”

He said the new facility would likely be located in the Black Hills Industrial Center area across from the landfill and would address storage, maintenance bays and working conditions for city crews.

Salamun also addressed the recent announcement of a smaller regional data center that could serve a 100-mile radius, potentially including Rapid City. He said no building permit has yet been submitted to the city but acknowledged growing public interest.

“The concerns with data centers historically in recent years, I guess, has been the amount of water that they use and the amount of electricity they use,” Salamun said.

He added that newer facilities often use a “closed loop system” for cooling, reducing water consumption. He also said he opposes state tax incentives for such projects.

“I actually opposed that. I don’t think they need additional tax incentives,” Salamun said, noting he believes any development must include guardrails to protect water, electricity and neighboring properties.

The mayor also weighed in on national lawsuits involving children and social media use. He expressed concern about addiction, cyberbullying and online predators.

“It is programming your brain,” Salamun said. “When you go on there and you get likes, it’s a dopamine hit for all of us.”

He urged parents to set boundaries and monitor phone use, calling social media “like a drug” and emphasizing that “parents have to be hands on, totally hands on.”

Salamun said the city has invested in its Internet Crimes Against Children unit, adding staffing as part of his budget priorities.

As the episode closed, Salamun reflected on leadership and responsibility, saying, “The goal would be to help make this city a better place.”