Guernsey County Residents Raise Concerns Over Proposed Data Center

GUERNSEY COUNTY, OH – A proposed data center that could potentially be built in Guernsey County is generating discussion among residents. On Saturday, June 20th, opponents of the project gathered signatures and encouraged community members to learn more about the proposal.

As hundreds gathered in downtown Cambridge for the annual National Road Bike Show, some also made a stop by a petition booth to learn more about a proposed data center and to sign a petition opposing the project. Organizers say the petition effort is aimed at raising awareness and gathering public input as discussions surrounding the project continue.

“I think it’s important to be educated about data center development. It’s happening all over Ohio. There’s over 200 already in the state of Ohio.  Now, all of a sudden this has popped up in the last 10 or 11 days that there has been a buzz and some word at the Guernsey County Commissioner meetings regarding a potential data center development on 425 acres.” Data Center Opponent, Leslie Menges, said.

People of all ages stopped by the booth throughout the day to share their thoughts on the proposed project.

“Data centers don’t bring good jobs, they take up and destroy farmland, and they’re just loud.” Data Center Opponent, Sam Menges, said.

The petition drive follows a public meeting held last week regarding the proposed project. Amy Kissinger and Geno Riley, who attended that meeting and founded the Facebook group called “Guernsey County & Ohio: Data Center Developments”, say residents have voiced concerns about the potential impact a data center could have on the community.

“The primary concern that were all held in common was how is this going to impact our water supply, the amount that it uses, and in addition, what impact will it have on our water quality? There were also many concerns raised about how this will impact our utilities, such as electricity.” Community Activist, Amy Kissinger, said.

The Guernsey County Commissioners also recently released a statement regarding the proposal. According to that statement, developers met with commissioners earlier this month to discuss a possible data center project, but a location for the development was not disclosed. Commissioners later announced that they do not support the project as currently presented.

“We were elated to know that the Guernsey County Commissioners are on our side and opposed to it and weren’t going to give a tax abatement to something this large. If it is coming, it needs to bring money with it. I always say, is the juice worth the squeeze? If it’s going to be forced on us, what are we getting out of it?” Community Activist, Geno Riley, said.

While no official location for the project has been announced, Kissinger and Riley say research conducted by residents, including themselves, has led them to suspect the proposed development could be located off State Route 146 in the Pleasant City area. However, developers have not publicly identified a project site.

To learn more about the proposal and read the commissioners’ full statement, visit the Guernsey County Commissioners website.

GC Commissioners Data Center Press Release – Guernsey County, Ohio