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Resident raises water, wildlife and jobs concerns about proposed data center during public comment
Summary
At the April 27 council meeting resident Lenore Bolt House challenged projected job numbers for a proposed data center, questioned water‑use estimates and environmental and emergency risks, and asked whether a risk‑reward analysis and specialist reviews had been completed.
During public comment at the April 27 Gibraltar City Council meeting, resident Lenore Bolt House pressed the council for information and raised multiple concerns about a proposed data center.
"Who put the survey together — council or the administrator?" Bolt House asked, and she asked whether the survey results would be made public. She said the city’s website “only shows what this council views as a reward” and urged the city to present risks as well as benefits.
Bolt House challenged developer job projections and cited comparative figures: "Raytheon keeps saying that they're going to have 60 to 100 jobs...North Virginia has 565 facilities with 10,420 employees...approximately only 18 employees per facility," concluding that claims of 60–100 full‑time jobs at a single facility were a "fallacy." She also pressed the council on water use, saying she was "going to harp on this water usage," and questioned contingency plans if daily consumption exceeded the stated 200–600 gallons. "What do we have in place if it goes over that? And do we have the capacity to handle that?" she asked.
Bolt House further requested whether the city had consulted an industrial hygienist or environmental‑health specialist to assess noise (low‑voltage sound), impacts on birds and wildlife, and risks from battery‑storage systems. She cited examples of battery fires in other states that required facilities to "burn itself out" and said she was concerned about emergency response capability.
The mayor thanked Bolt House for the comments and said staff would follow up and that the city administrator’s office had received her communications. No developer or technical expert responded during the meeting and no detailed risk assessment was presented on the record.
The council did not take immediate policy action on the topic at the meeting; the item was raised during public comment and staff indicated they would follow up with the resident and provide additional information.
