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Residents and advocates clash over data center’s local benefits and impacts
Summary
At the May 12 Wythe County Board meeting residents gave mixed testimony about a data center under construction in Progress Park—supporters cited tax revenue and closed-loop cooling using an estimated 2,000 gallons per day, while opponents warned of few permanent jobs and AI/privacy risks and urged zoning and rescinding a 2025 welcoming resolution.
Marcie Zon, who moved to Wythe County in 2022, told the Board on May 12 that she trusts county leaders to weigh community and environmental interests and said the Progress Park data center will use a closed-loop cooling system with an anticipated average daily use of about 2,000 gallons.
"I choose to trust people until they give me a reason not to," Zon said, asking supervisors to consider the project’s benefits for schools, emergency services and infrastructure.
Several other residents urged caution. "A modern data center the size of a football field can operate as few as 10 to 25 full-time workers," said Sherri Burris, arguing that land, energy and tax incentives often yield limited local hiring once construction ends. "If a project doesn't create real jobs, protect our workforce, or build a stronger future for working families here in this area, then it's not the right project for us."
Andrew Kegley asked the Board to pursue a zoning ordinance to allow public hearings on objectionable land uses and repeated a request that the Board rescind a January 2025 resolution welcoming data centers to Wythe County. Opponents also raised broader technology concerns: Donna Nichter cited published lists of AI risks including bias, privacy breaches, loss of human oversight and potential employment disruption and asked the Board to consider those externalities.
Supporters emphasized economic opportunity. "We have to have jobs, we have to have tax base," said resident Joe DeBord Jr., who pointed to a Meta donation of $1 million to Sumner County schools as an example of how data center-related investment can be structured to help local education.
Supervisors addressed the concerns in their reports. Supervisor Rolland R. Cook reiterated that the facility is designed with a closed-loop system using about 2,000 gallons per day and noted the site is roughly 1.5 miles from residences. Chair James D. "Jamie" Smith and Supervisor Stacy A. Terry said they and other board members share residents' stake in the county’s future and that decisions will be made in good faith based on staff information.
The discussion prompted requests for more public participation: Kegley and other speakers asked for additional public hearings and for zoning changes to give residents formal avenues to object to specific land uses. County staff and supervisors said the land-use ordinance process and upcoming meetings will be opportunities for further comment. Citizens’ Time closed with no formal board action on the data center recorded during the May 12 meeting.
The Board indicated continued procedural steps: land-use ordinance work is ongoing and public hearings on zoning and other related matters are expected to be scheduled through the county’s forthcoming process.
