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Residents press Forest Park for records after blasting near Gillum Logistics Center tied to data center project
Summary
Multiple residents told the Forest Park council that controlled blasting near the Gillum Logistics Center preceded limited public notice and that filings show the proposed data center would use about 3,000,000 gallons of water per day; the interim city manager acknowledged notification failures and said communications were being corrected.
Residents voiced sharp concerns during public comment at the Forest Park City Council meeting on Feb. 2 about controlled blasting near the Gillum Logistics Center and the city’s communication about a large data center project.
Zach Parker told the council that residents received an email announcing controlled construction blasting by Precision Blasting LLC but were not clearly told the work supported a massive data center. "What wasn't said clearly is that its economic development project is a massive data center being built near residential areas," Parker said, adding that public filings list "3,000,000 gallons of water per day." He asked what the project will mean for long-term water supply, electrical loads, infrastructure upgrades and permanent jobs.
Anne Pellegrine and Clifford Pellegreen echoed those concerns, saying blasting continued for weeks without clear notice and that public outreach had been inadequate. Pellegreen said residents had repeatedly asked about water, energy and noise impacts and had received "glossed over numbers" in response.
Interim City Manager Clemens told the council he had not been satisfied with prior notification and that the public information office began outreach once the issue was raised. Clemens said the interim administration is working to improve documentation, communication and compliance across departments.
In closing remarks a council member noted Digital Realty Company is the provider associated with the data center project and said staff has been communicating with Georgia Power and the Clayton County Water Authority about utility impacts; the council member also apologized for the lack of earlier notification regarding blasting.
The public asked the council for records rather than assurances; speakers repeatedly requested documents showing projected power demand, employment figures and contracts tied to the project. City staff did not provide full, project-level employment or power-demand figures during the meeting; council members and staff said they would continue to follow up and that some records had been provided in response to open-records requests.
Next steps: council members said they would pursue additional information from utility partners and review any records provided; no binding council action on the data center occurred at the Feb. 2 meeting.
