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Residents urge Leavenworth County commissioners to reject Kaw Valley sand-mining SUP; data-center concerns voiced
Summary
Multiple residents told the Leavenworth County Board of County Commissioners they oppose Kaw Valley Companies’ special-use permit to excavate and stockpile sand and warned against approving a proposed data center, citing traffic, environmental and long-term economic concerns.
Residents at the Leavenworth County Board of County Commissioners meeting urged commissioners to reject a special-use permit (SUP) application from Kaw Valley Companies and to oppose a proposed data center. Nancy Carpenter of Bonner Springs told the board the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended denial and quoted an attorney’s email that she said indicated the company planned to change its business model: “the county wants us to sell more as this will generate more royalty payments and, under our revised business model, generate more sales tax.” Carpenter said any substantive change to the application should trigger a new public hearing.
Why it matters: Public commenters said the proposed sand mining and a separate data-center proposal could reduce local property values, increase truck traffic on narrow rural roads and create environmental and quality-of-life harms. Several residents also questioned process transparency and whether the county and Kaw Valley had adequately engaged nearby homeowners.
Multiple speakers expanded on those themes. Mike Dean (Lynnwood) urged the board to reject mining in the Kaw River Basin, said Kaw Valley had not ''vetted this correctly,'' and recommended rail rather than trucks for hauling what he estimated could be about 10,000,000 tons of sand over 20 years. Chris Gruncher and Brian Morley argued a data center would produce few long-term local jobs and could leave large, impractical buildings; Gruncher said, “data centers are not what makes a county wealthy.” Mary Wood and Ted Grinter echoed concerns about resource use, light and noise impacts and urged commissioners to vote no on the data-center proposal.
What commissioners heard and did: Public comment closed after several residents spoke. No formal action on the Kaw Valley SUP or any data-center application occurred at the meeting; the board instead scheduled a public informational work session on data centers for March 18.
What remains unresolved: Speakers alleged a changed Kaw Valley business model and possible negotiations with county staff; the board did not approve or deny the SUP at this meeting. Carpenter asked that if the application is materially altered, the county require a new public hearing. Commissioners did not announce further dates for the SUP itself.
Ending: The board moved on to administrative business after public comment. The data-center informational session was scheduled to allow additional public presentations and questions.
