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Residents raise questions about Microsoft mega‑park, proposed rail trail and Moriah Energy Center during Person County public comments
Summary
Multiple residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period to ask commissioners for information and greater transparency about a Microsoft land purchase described in outside materials as a data center, proposed rail‑trail activity from Durham, and water sourcing and safety concerns related to the Moriah Energy Center.
Several residents spoke during the Sept. 2 public‑comment period to press the Board of County Commissioners for more information and transparency about three separate issues: Microsoft’s purchase of a large tract in the county, proposed activity on a rail corridor, and operations at the Moriah Energy Center (MEC).
Julie Nye said residents near the Microsoft purchase — which Microsoft bought in October 2024 — have not been given plans for the site and asked for clearer answers about the company’s intentions, including whether the land will host a data center. Nye read a letter addressed to Microsoft and the board that asked about jobs, tax incentives, property taxes, public access and emergency access through the mega‑park; she said a representative of the American Petroleum Institute had referred to the site as a data center in presentations to state lawmakers.
Several speakers raised questions about a proposed Durham‑to‑Roxboro rail trail. Chris Harris and neighbor Ronald Oakley said they found surveyors at their properties with little notice, and they asked whether adjacent property owners would be notified about future transactions, how trail safety and privacy will be handled, and what security measures would be in place for non‑motorized users given reported criminal incidents on similar corridors in other counties.
A speaker identified as Carolyn Mongeau asked the county to contact Enbridge (the company operating MEC work referenced by citizens) to confirm how MEC will obtain large volumes of water needed for tank testing and whether water will be transported by truck or pipeline. She said residents want assurance that MEC will not pump from local wells and requested public information on pipeline routes or tanker‑truck traffic if that is planned.
Commissioners did not provide detailed answers during the public‑comment period but offered to have staff follow up. The county manager and commissioners noted they would provide contact or follow‑up information with the clerk and encouraged residents to provide contact details for direct follow‑up.
The public‑comment speakers and their neighborhoods asked the board for clearer public outreach and for staff to clarify safety, access, and environmental impacts where applicable.
