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Resident warns commissioners that Marshall megasite and data centers threaten Brooks Nature Center
Summary
During citizens time at the March 5 meeting, resident Barry Allen criticized the City of Marshall’s handling of the megasite referendum and warned that proposed data centers near the Brooks Nature Center would generate constant noise and harm wildlife; no formal county action followed.
A Marshall-area resident told the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners on March 5 that recent court decisions and city zoning maneuvers are denying residents’ referendum rights and that proposed data center development near the Brooks Nature Center would damage the nature preserve.
Barry Allen of Adams told the board the Court of Appeals had issued a decision that he said “pretty much regurgitated the same decision that it made beforehand that was preemptively vacated by the Michigan Supreme Court,” and accused the city of using procedural strategies to block a referendum. He said the city and its legal spending amount to an attrition strategy that burdens opponents and donors.
Allen also warned about placing data centers adjacent to Brooks Nature Center, saying these facilities produce "a continuous noise emission of 90 decibels or better. It's like an acre of vacuum cleaners or lawn mowers. Constant," and that such noise would drive wildlife away and reduce the nature center to a scenic photo stop rather than a protected habitat.
The comments were part of citizens time and did not trigger formal board action. No county official disputed Allen’s assertions on the record during the meeting; commissioners moved on to agenda business after public comment.
Separately during citizens time, Homer Township resident Isabel Nazar asked the board to improve microphone use and placement because she had difficulty hearing the proceedings when microphones were not positioned close to speakers’ mouths.
What’s next: The items Allen discussed relate to city zoning and court processes in Marshall; the county made no formal response at the meeting and took no action related to the megasite or the data center concerns.
