Resident warns of noise, light and safety risks from proposed data center and blocked rail crossing

John Klingley of Palo told commissioners the proposed data center near residential areas threatens residents’ quality of life through constant low-frequency vibrations, continuous lighting and potential legal challenges to local moratoria. "My concern is low frequency that I'm gonna have to deal with 24 7, 365," he said, and added that light pollution and continuous noise could make outdoor conversation and star-gazing impossible for nearby homeowners.

Klingley, who described himself as a military intelligence officer by trade, urged the county to anticipate legal challenges to moratoria and to begin planning and zoning changes now rather than waiting until a court fight is underway. He said developers could bring a "billion dollar team of lawyers" to challenge moratoria and asked what proactive steps the county will take to protect residents.

He also raised a separate public-safety concern about the 327th and Osawatomie Road railroad crossing, saying Union Pacific often parks very long trains (sometimes partially blocking the crossing) and that swapping engineers can extend crossings beyond the statutory 10-minute allowance for mechanical delays; he warned that blocked crossings can delay emergency responders.

The commission took the remarks during the public-comment period; commissioners did not take immediate action on zoning or moratorium procedures at the July 1 meeting.