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Freestone residents press county over AI data center and large solar projects, citing noise, water use and property-value risks
Summary
At a Jan. 7 Freestone County Commissioners Court meeting, multiple residents urged commissioners to scrutinize proposed AI data-center and large solar projects, citing concerns about noise, water consumption, decommissioning and falling property values; staff and commissioners said some commitments were in writing but enforcement often rests with state agencies.
Residents filled the public-comment portion of the Freestone County Commissioners Court meeting on Jan. 7 to press local officials on a proposed AI data center and several large solar projects they say threaten rural life and property values.
"They're discovering that they are quite noxious in terms of noise, light, energy consumption, and of course, water utilization," resident Larry Walter told the court, summarizing the concerns that several speakers raised about a data center under consideration. Other commenters described similar worries about a planned 3,000-acre solar installation.
Why it matters: Residents said the projects could change neighborhood character, reduce home values and strain local services. Darlene Hall, who presented a petition she said was signed by more than 250 neighbors, told commissioners the solar arrays would convert farmland "into an industrial power…
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