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Residents urge scrutiny of Amazon data-center development over hiring and drainage concerns
Summary
Two residents told the St. Joseph County commissioners that Amazon’s New Carlisle development has strained local drainage, may be bypassing local workers, and should not expand beyond existing buildings until unresolved issues are addressed.
Two members of the public told the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 4 that an Amazon data-center development in New Carlisle is raising local hiring and environmental concerns.
Dan Caruso of New Carlisle said he supports development but accused Amazon and related economic-development officials of ignoring community-developed land-use expectations and “guidelines” when the company sought variances. He criticized the employment practices at the site, saying local workers were bypassed in favor of people brought in from outside the area and that unresolved eligibility issues are being investigated behind the scenes. “Amazon, you proved you are not a good neighbor,” Caruso said. “Maybe at some point, when it's working and there are some good tech jobs inside, but right now they are not good neighbors.” He urged the county to stop expansion beyond the nine buildings that are currently in various stages of completion.
Caruso also said the county economic-development director had publicly suggested the nine buildings are only “the tip of the iceberg,” with the possibility of many more 216,000-square-foot data centers in the area south of State Road 2. He said some proposed sites lie in wetland or high-water-table areas and questioned how structures would be supported on such ground.
Deborah Durrell of 21677 told the board she has repeatedly raised concerns about construction south of State Road 2, saying the area has a high water table and that recent work has aggravated drainage and bank erosion along a local ditch. “They expanded the IEC south of 2 and Amazon down there trying to build on that … the bank is just getting blown out, and trees are coming down,” Durrell said. She said the area sits above the aquifer and that construction could harm community health and the environment.
No county action, vote, or formal staff response was recorded in the meeting minutes for either comment; the remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the agenda. The commissioners asked Caruso a question about his hiring allegations but did not direct staff to take specific action on the record.
Speakers requested stronger enforcement of local land-use safeguards and a pause on further development until outstanding environmental and workforce concerns are resolved. The meeting record does not include written evidence or official findings regarding the hiring or drainage issues raised by the speakers.
