Residents press Polk County on data centers, address changes, river pollution and road repairs

Several Polk County residents used the May 20 public‑comment period to raise local quality‑of‑life concerns and urge board action.

Andy Christensen urged the board to respect the Town of Luck’s request to extend the objection period on a proposed rezoning and warned against reclassifying a 40‑acre parcel to B2 for VRBO use, saying a B2 designation allows uses such as "archery ranges, restaurants and taverns, bait shops, miniature golf" that are inappropriate for a residential/agricultural area.

Leanne Overman (Lincoln Township) described continuing problems after county address changes — lost mail and map errors that can move an address "6 mi from my house" — and asked, "if I call the sheriff, the fire department, or the paramedics, are they going to show up at my house?" She also asked the board to consider a moratorium on data centers, citing concerns about water consumption, energy draw, noise, traffic and limited local economic benefit.

Donna Annick of Amery said plastics are blowing out of local recycling bins and entering the Apple River; she said she provided a video to county staff and urged short‑term fixes such as moving bins or adding fencing. Chris Matson described widespread road damage and said current chip‑rock fixes are insufficient, asking what the county’s plans are to address potholes and crumbling pavement.

Jason Avery cautioned about data centers and emerging "edge compute" and 6G technologies that could increase tower power usage and local impacts; Duke Tucker, a recently retired former state representative in the audience, highlighted transportation funding issues and suggested reassessing gas‑tax debt service priorities.

The board listened and accepted the petitions and comments; no immediate policy votes were taken during the public‑comment period, and the clerk noted a petition had been filed under Polk County code chapters cited in the packet.