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Parkland residents press board to take public stance on proposed Atlas data center
Summary
Dozens of residents urged Parkland School District trustees to publicly oppose Project Atlas, a proposed hyperscale data center across from Parkland High School, citing student safety, noise, heat‑island effects and a lack of transparent communication; the superintendent said the district has raised concerns with the township and will follow up.
Dozens of residents at the Parkland School District board meeting on July 21 urged the board to publicly oppose Project Atlas, a proposed hyperscale data center sited across from Parkland High School.
Karen Lowry, a Parkland alum and prevention specialist, told the board: “When people talk about Project Atlas, they often talk about acreage, square footage, megawatts, substations, and infrastructure. I see something different: the students.” She asked the board to “publicly advocate for the students and the families you were elected to serve,” and to ensure transparency before any decisions are finalized.
Other commenters echoed that concern. George Rivera asked the board for three concrete steps: “a public statement of what the district knows about Atlas,” a timeline for updates while input still matters, and a work session on the project. Whiteman Finch and multiple residents described broad, bipartisan opposition to the project and said the board’s silence has left families to rely on social media for information.
Superintendent Dr. Madsen answered during the round table, saying the district had already submitted written concerns to South Whitehall Township and the developer in early May and had presented on the first submission at a public township meeting. He said administrators have worked with outside experts to review proposals and that, from the administration’s standpoint, “this proposal as is is not something that is acceptable next to the high school.”
Residents raised specific worries about noise and health impacts, potential traffic and utility strain, and long‑term effects on property values and enrollment. Dwight Adam warned of “constant low frequency” noise from data‑center cooling equipment and generators and said sustained exposure could harm concentration and learning for students who use adjacent fields.
The meeting produced no formal board vote on Atlas. Board members said they were gathering information, have communicated concerns to the township, and will continue to consider options, including a possible future work session or public communication. Several speakers asked the board to make a clear, public statement while review and public input are still ongoing.
