Residents, property owners urge independent groundwater, stormwater studies before city acts on large fill permit

Residents and property owners urged the Hobart City board to delay or place conditions on a mass-grading (fill) permit tied to a proposed large data-center development, saying the city lacks the full engineering and groundwater analysis needed before irreversible land alteration.

At the meeting, Barbara Telles said the fill permit "is just 1 step in the final building of the data center" and warned that such a large facility near residences would harm property values and public health. Several other residents recounted similar concerns: potential well contamination, dewatering impacts, construction traffic on local two‑lane roads and sediment and wetland damage.

"We worry if [dewatering] could dry up or be damaged," a homeowner who described living and farming near the site said, citing regional examples of large water withdrawals and saying city water connections are not a plausible mitigation for small farms. Elizabeth Scagliardi, owner of Excelsior Equestrian Center, urged the board to consider how grading, erosion and runoff would affect her farm's water supply and animal operations, and she pointed to site‑plan details and pipeline proximity that she said merit review before mass grading.

Eric Morris, representing property owners on Colorado Street, asked the city to require a complete engineering record before allowing mass grading. He recommended an independent stormwater and groundwater study, a no‑net‑increase stormwater standard, written elevation and drainage guarantees, a stormwater performance bond or escrow, baseline property and well surveys with ongoing monitoring, and enforceable long‑term maintenance and inspection requirements.

Advocate Jennifer McWhite urged independent baseline groundwater testing covering nitrates, nitrites and common agricultural and industrial contaminants and asked that any monitoring for dewatering impacts be funded by the applicant and publicly released. "Without clear baseline data, neither the city nor residents will have any objective way to determine whether groundwater quality changes following permit approval," she said.

City staff told the board that the plan commission had approved findings of fact for the fill permit but acknowledged that final site plans and some engineering details remain outstanding. Staff advised commissioners that the Board of Works would receive and decide the appeals at the next Board of Works meeting on the 18th and that written findings would be provided to petitioners.

Opponents asked the board to require additional, independent technical review before grading begins; among requests were hydrogeological assessments, clear erosion and sediment controls for each construction phase, haul‑route and traffic management plans, and financial assurances to fund corrective work if problems occur.

Next steps: the board consolidated the appeals and will consider them at the Board of Works meeting on the 18th; petitioners will receive written determinations after that meeting.