Neighbors press Augusta officials on health, noise, water and transparency around QTS plan
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Summary
Residents at a town‑hall near Haines Station raised concerns about generator noise and emissions, water use, property‑value impacts and inadequate notification of rezoning; city planners and QTS promised follow‑ups and an additional meeting in May.
Residents at the Augusta town‑hall pressed QTS and city officials for concrete answers on generator noise, air emissions, water use and neighborhood notification after QTS outlined a six‑building data‑center campus on Gordon Highway.
Several speakers emphasized proximity to homes. Jonathan Gibbs, identified as "the third closest neighbor" to the planned center on Goodale Lane in Haines Station, noted the site sits roughly 350 feet from nearby houses and asked why generator siting and noise studies were not shown on the concept drawings. A resident asked for numbers and asked, "What's the size of the generators you're gonna put out, what is the amount of noise that these are gonna create?" QTS said generator siting and counts depend on final building design, that generators are backup equipment (1.25–1.5 megawatt units were discussed as typical) and that monthly one‑hour tests are typical; the company offered to provide numerical noise data at a later date.
Public‑health concerns were voiced. Maria (a college student) asked about particulate emissions (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides from diesel‑powered generators and asked how the company would prevent air pollution from affecting residents, particularly infants and people with respiratory conditions. QTS acknowledged the question and committed to having environmental specialists follow up with testing and data.
Residents also questioned notice and transparency. Angela Backus and others said they learned about rezoning late and asked why signs and legal ads did not reach the broader community; Amanda Cruz of Planning and Development said staff had posted rezoning signs on Gordon Highway in 2022, provided photos to the record and agreed to review notification procedures and make documents available online.
The meeting reflected strong skepticism about whether the local community benefits — concerns about potential real‑estate impacts and the distribution of economic gains were repeated. Some community members asked for a single point of contact to consolidate responses; QTS and city staff said questions submitted via the project's web portal will be answered and the city planned a follow‑up meeting in May to continue community outreach. "You owe everybody in this room an apology," one attendee said, capturing the depth of frustration attendees expressed about being insufficiently informed earlier in the process.