PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — Hundreds of Port Washington residents gathered Wednesday night to voice opposition to a controversial $15 billion data center complex currently under construction in their community.
The town hall event, hosted by Great Lakes Neighbors United, featured a panel of local environmentalists who discussed concerns about the massive project's potential negative effects on the local ecosystem and long-term impacts to the city if the center becomes obsolete.
"We're not necessarily for or against... It's good to see people coming together about things that they care about. There is clearly an environmental concern that a lot of people have," said Medhavi Ambardar, a panelist from the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory.
Michael Valente, who attended the event and was one of the first signers of GLNU's petition to recall Port Washington Mayor Ted Neitzke, criticized the process behind the data center's approval.
Watch: Port Washington neighbors host town hall, rally against $15 billion data center project
"A lot of negotiating was done before anybody knew what the heck was going on," Valente said.
The recall petition organizers are working against a tight deadline, with signatures due in less than a week. Valente said the group is close to but has not yet reached the required 1,600 signatures.
Construction on the data center has been ongoing around the clock for almost two months and is visible from the parking lot of the hotel where the meeting was held.
However, not all oppose the project. Casey Laabs moved to Ozaukee County last year and expressed a more optimistic view of the development.
"It's incredible the sheer size of it," Laabs said. "I'm a bit more open-minded to it. It's something that's kind of necessary given the way things are going in the world. It is crazy having one so close to home."
City leaders have argued that the data center will stabilize the local economy and decrease property taxes for residents. Organizers of Wednesday night's town hall continued collecting recall petition signatures during the event.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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