Residents in the Town of Mishicot feel an AI Data Center would not be good for their area.
That was the consensus after the town board gave the public time to voice their comments, following NextEra Energy and Cloverleaf Development reaching out to farmers to ask whether they would sell their land for a future project.
At the Gray Fox in Mishicot last night (February 2nd), Town Chairperson Dean Anhalt first told residents that no board member has signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with any company.
He then explained that the Town of Mishicot, Manitowoc County, and other communities were contacted last fall about a proposed AI Data Center by both companies.
“At my next board meeting, I told that to our town board and we had AI discussion on our agendas for the last three months, starting in December 1st,” he explained. “So, as soon as we found out, we put it out there.”
Anhalt continued, saying that the board’s concern is the effect of an AI Data Center on the community, including its water use and the purchase of farmland.
The Town of Mishicot is considering a moratorium on any further development on land in the Town of Mishicot for a year, with a possible extension.
Anhalt said it can’t be longer than that.
“Any lawyer will say that you’re doing this just to stop a project,” he described. “And that timeframe would get shut down. And it does actually state, in state laws, it a one year with a six-month renewal for a little extra time.”
The Town chair also commented on state-level legislation that would require any company to pay for construction or electrical upgrades, with the costs borne entirely by the company.
However, Anhalt says he’s concerned that it could mean installing wind turbines and solar panels in the area if a data center wants to use renewable energy.
He finished by saying that the community should get involved and do research on the issue.
Town residents then asked questions and commented about the moratorium and what they should do next.
Resident Kevin Nysee told the board that, in his view, it’s the residents who have the power not to sell to the companies.
He exclaimed, “We the people, we the famers, we the landowners, we the homeowners here in this town and all the towns in Manitowoc County and every county hold all the power. If we don’t sell, they don’t have a center.”
Resident Susan Dirkmann also asked who would want to live around an AI Data Center, and no one put their hand up.
“If this goes through, the northern Town of Mishicot, our property values just tanked because no one wants to live there,” she remarked. “Even if you can’t live there, you can’t stand the noise, whatever we have to deal with. We’re stuck! Because no one is going to buy property.”
Anhalt told residents that the Town of Mishicot plans to hold a joint meeting with the Towns of Two Rivers and Two Creeks to discuss this issue in the future.
The area has been the center of AI Data Center discussions after a group visited to discuss the potential negative effects of building one.
There are currently no plans to build one, and no land has been designated.
