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Residents raise environmental and surveillance concerns as City Manager outlines preliminary Graphite One plan
Summary
Residents at the May 26 Conneaut council meeting voiced concerns about possible data centers and a proposed Graphite One processing facility; City Manager Mr. Sanford said the company has a 90-day due-diligence period and outlined capacity, cost and job estimates.
Residents used the public-comment period at Conneaut City Council's May 26 meeting to press elected officials on environmental and privacy concerns tied to hypothetical industrial projects, while the City Manager presented preliminary details on a proposed graphite-processing facility.
Sandy Shelenberger of 6859 Bushnell Road told council she found a prior meeting adversarial, urged patience for City staff and questioned whether several ordinances had been passed as emergencies. She specifically asked whether speed cameras referenced in a tabled Ordinance No. 45-26 "would be collecting data, if they would be surveillance and who would have access," and said she opposed the development of data centers in Conneaut because of concerns including water contamination, utility costs, noise, waste and PFAS; she urged a one- to two-year moratorium on such facilities.
Other residents raised related environmental concerns. Lisa Specht, who described a background in biochemistry and hazardous-waste treatment, expressed worry that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency might not fully prevent heavy-metal pollution and asked when the City will provide more information about the graphite project. Gary Pagenkopf cautioned about diesel backup generators and high energy demand at large data centers and suggested language requiring site remediation if a facility closes. Patrick Turner delivered petitions on behalf of a constituent and asked about the companies involved in the speed-camera proposal.
Council President Mr. Moisio responded that "a data center is not coming to Conneaut" at present and emphasized the City was researching the topic; he said he opposed speed cameras except for potential school-zone use and noted the traffic-enforcement-device ordinance had been referred to the Public Safety Committee for further review.
City Manager Mr. Sanford provided the council with material from a Graphite One announcement and described preliminary project parameters: a facility sized to produce roughly 10,000 tons of finished product annually by the fourth quarter of 2027, an estimated capital outlay of $1.4 billion and a potential workforce of up to 160 skilled-trade positions. He said Graphite One has a 90-day due-diligence period in its contract and that the City intends to engage on anticipatory infrastructure planning, industrial pretreatment and funding opportunities for port access.
No company representative spoke during the meeting, and several resident claims about contamination, PFAS and regulatory sufficiency went unanswered in the public record; Council referred the speed-camera ordinance to committee and did not take final action on data-center or graphite-project approvals.
The City's next steps, as stated at the meeting, include further review during the Graphite One due-diligence period and consideration by the Public Safety Committee of the traffic-enforcement-device ordinance.
