Citizens from across Southwest Wisconsin have asked for a public meeting to discuss potential risks and rewards of data centers. Volunteer organizers have secured the Holiday Gardens Event Center in Potosi to host this community conversation on March 8.
“The national debate over data centers has arrived at our doorstep in the Driftless Region,” says Pete Moris, a Mt. Hope native who is one of the volunteer organizers of the Potosi event.
Prescott Balch is headlining the event. He’s a recently retired technology executive from Caledonia, and has traveled across the Midwest to help educate communities about data centers. Balch can speak to a variety of topics surrounding data centers, including tax implications, water usage and utility rate impacts, as well as short and long-term job creation. He has also done extensive research on other economic and environmental considerations surrounding these projects.
“Our goal is to provide basic facts and answer questions so community leaders and residents can make educated decisions,” Moris continued. “With little or virtually no regulation in place specific to data centers, it’s critical that we understand the potential long-term implications before any agreements are executed.”
The Cassville area has been publicly mentioned as a potential site for a data center in Grant County. Given its location along the Cardinal-Hickory Transmission Line, its proximity to existing substations and a high-voltage electrical transmission line that runs north to Genoa, as well as fiber optic connectivity, the area has much of the infrastructure in place that a data center would require.
“I’m an outdoor advocate who believes this kind of ecological devastation is immoral,” said local volunteer Melodie Betts. “Our farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate, and the Driftless Area needs to be preserved for generations to come.”
Informational handouts will be available at the event. A cash bar will be open at the venue, with complimentary snacks and desserts provided.
Holiday Gardens Event Center in Potosi, WI – Sunday, March 8
Doors open at 1:00 p.m. – Presentation begins at 2:00 p.m.
