CANTON – People crowded into Canton City Council chambers for a public hearing to voice their opinions about a large and divisive data center project planned in Perry Township.
Supporters said it promised economic development opportunities, including employment for hundreds of residents. Opponents argued the data center will harm the environment, home values and the health of people living nearby.
Council held the public hearing May 12 ahead of a vote that would provide a tax break to the company. The meeting, attended by more than 100 people, lasted more than two and a half hours.
“I’ve been here since 1984,” said Councilman Bill Smuckler, who organized the meeting. “This is the largest crowd we’ve ever had in this building.”
Council was going to vote on the measure May 4, but it was delayed by Smuckler so council could hold a public hearing and listen to community members. Now, council will vote May 18.
The project, located on 100 acres off of Faircrest Street SW in Perry Township, is situated in a Joint Economic Development District between Perry and Canton. Local government leaders have identified Amazon as the company behind the center.
Under Ohio law, Perry and Canton must vote to approve any tax breaks. Perry trustees have already approved the deal, despite public pushback. If approved, it will move on to be considered by Stark County commissioners, according to county officials.
The proposal would give a 75% property tax break for 30 years and provide Perry with $2.75 million upfront, as well as the remaining 25% of the property tax over three decades.
Residents have concerns over health, environment, property value
Megan Kenney, a fifth-generation farmer in Perry Township, said she found out about the data center on Facebook.
“How do you think that makes us feel as a community?” Kenney said. “We weren’t even notified. We don’t have any options. It’s just shut up and take it.”
In an address to council, Kenney said she is a small business owner and that the data center alone will not sustain the community.
Several speakers suggested companies planning to bring data centers into the community should be subject to first clean up contaminated sites, such as Republic Steel.
Township resident Tyler Peveich and his mother Jennifer Peveich also spoke against the data center.
Tyler expressed concern over how much electricity and water would be used, as well as noise pollution — themes raised consistently among opponents. He also believes there is no scarcity of work for building contractors and electricians, noting there will be other employment opportunities, even if the data center does not continue.
“Economic growth can come from a host of different business types, but only this type of business can destroy a community like it will,” he said.
Jennifer told council she has been a township resident for over 30 years. She urged council to research before making a decision next week, noting many other Stark County local governments have been enacting local restrictions on data centers.
Ben Sponseller, who works for the Akron branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, showed up in opposition of data centers. He said the data center would provide only temporary jobs and that the setbacks far outweigh perceived benefits.
For example, Sponseller said people living near the site have already began seeing decreasing property values.
“They see this company coming in from California, really degrading the property value and all the other things they have really worked their entire lives for,” he said.
Speakers also addressed other concerns including public health impacts and a lack of project transparency.
Other community members, trade workers show support
Patrick Dunn, a Stark County resident, said he previously worked on a data center site in Columbus. At first, he expected to see environmental effects he had been hearing about so frequently. But he said as he worked he didn’t notice any changes. Dunn could see the stars at night and observe wildlife nearby.
“There was a bullfrog in a swamp out back,” Dunn said. “He was my little buddy.”
Erik Hann is the business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the vice president of East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council. At the hearing, he said he was speaking on behalf of workers who could potentially be employed for construction of the data center.
Hann said large employers like Republic Steel and the Hoover are no longer a part of Stark County’s business scene. Meanwhile, he said, over a thousand union members are working on a data center in Columbus.
“What I want this council to know is that we are not temporary workers,” Hann said. “We are permanent members of this community and we are building infrastructure that this country depends on.”
Curt Moore, the local IBEW president, also spoke in support of the data center. He addressed what he called, “complete nonsense,” in regard to water, electricity and noise. Moore said local water will not be exposed to toxins; electricity prices are rising because of a lack of suppliers; and that noise levels would be lower than residents are anticipating.
James Leonard, vice president of field operations for the Canton-based Hilscher-Clarke Electric, said he would rather his data be stored using infrastructure in the U.S., rather than an overseas provider.
What’s next for the Perry Township data center project?
The Perry Township data center project involves the construction of two 220,000-square-foot buildings and two 154,000-square-foot buildings, along with an American Electric Power substation and above ground water tanks. The data center is expected to be “hyperscale,” at 240 megawatts and the largest taxpayer in Stark County.
Project officials have said 670 trade workers are expected to be employed during construction.
After the public hearing, Mayor William V. Sherer II addressed the crowd. He said he is looking to do what is in the best interest of Canton, mentioning the city will receive 2% of the income tax from the site, while the township would earn 0.5%.
During the hearing, several community members called for a moratorium. City officials said since the data center is not in their jurisdiction, they cannot do anything beyond vote on the abatement.
Contact Abreanna Blose by email at ablose@usatodayco.com or by phone at 330-580-8513.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Packed room, emotional debate as Canton weighs data center proposal
Reporting by Abreanna Blose, Canton Repository / The Repository
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