CONNEAUT – Data centers have been a contentious topic during the City of Conneaut’s council meetings, as a large number of citizens have spoken out.
A large majority of people speaking during meetings in recent months have expressed a myriad of reasons for why a data center in the community is a bad idea, though city council has received no proposals for such a facility.
Without a proposal on the table, council’s conversation has been focused on creating an ad hoc committee to consider any possibility a data center might be proposed for while also looking at potential zoning rules that would encourage other industries to come to the city while shutting the door on industries it does not want in the community.
During a regular city council meeting on Monday, July 27, Council President Terry Moisio told a standing-room only crowd that the ad hoc committee has been created.
“On July 22, the economic development committee met and we formed an ad hoc committee,” Moisio said. “We have nine members. We have the health department involved, the school board involved, people for and against data centers because there are people for data centers, quite a few. We have to respect their opinion also.”
The ad hoc committee has already begun its work.
“They were given some ordinances with conditional uses to look at, tweak those, eliminate those, add to those,” Moisio said. “Just like everybody is saying, we may not want a crypto data center. We may not want a large hyperscale data center. We may not want it at all. To protect the City of Conneaut and its citizens, we need to add conditional uses to our zoning code because someone had said about agricultural land, an energy company could come in and claim eminent domain and take that land. We want to be prepared for that, also.”
Conditional use zoning is a way for the city to protect itself.
“If we’re legally protecting ourselves and we have a company that has interest or would come in, here’s your parameters, this is what you have to meet. It may not be a fit here. That’s why we’re starting this process,” he said.
Later, At-Large Councilwoman Mariana Branch moved to suspend the three-reading rule on an ordinance to create a moratorium not to exceed 12 months on the granting and issuing of new permits as well as the receipt and processing of applications for permits for data centers within the corporate limits of the City of Conneaut. It was seconded by Ward 3 Councilman Oakey Emery.
The motion failed, 3-4, with Ward 2 Councilman Chris Castrilla, Ward 1 Councilman Rick Gaugh, At-Large Councilman Nick Perkoski and Moisio all voting against the ordinance. Branch, Emery and Ward 4 Councilman Tom Kozesky voted in favor.
The ordinance will receive a third reading at the regular city council meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m.
Following the public comment period, Castrilla addressed the citizens who have been regularly speaking during council meetings.
“I’ve given a lot of thought to what a lot of people have been saying the last few weeks,” Castrilla said. “Yeah, there’s been times I made comments, ‘Here we go again,’ and all that good stuff. The last few nights I’ve been laying in my bed thinking about what I’d like to say. I’m not quite sure I’m going to get everything right, but I’m going to do my best.”
Castrilla spoke about respect.
“I don’t always see respect out of this group, sometimes yes, sometimes no,” Castrilla said. “I’m here to tell you, I don’t like shots taken at our city manager. We, two-and-a-half years ago, replaced our previous city manager with the face of Conneaut. I’ve heard a comment that had to do with, ‘Why aren’t you living here in Conneaut?’”
“I’m here to tell you, this is homegrown,” Castrilla continued. “He is. We went through the process of hiring starting with Mr. [Nick] Sanford. He came out Number 1 for every one of us in this room. He came out Number 1. I’m proud of this hire. I want you to know, I’m 100-percent proud of what Mr. Sanford has done.”
Castrilla said the members of council are working hard, though some residents might not think so.
“Sometimes I take it personally when I read something from keypad warriors saying that council’s already got its mind made up,” Castrilla said. “I’m here to tell you, I am on the fence. I am not for or I’m not against. You can look at all the rhetoric you’d like.”
A resident tried to interrupt, but Castrilla stopped the person.
“I don’t need a comment,” Castrilla said. “I’ve heard a lot of the same thing from all of you over and over and over. It’s my turn and I’m going to continue.”
Castrilla said that council has business to do.
“We allow people to speak,” Castrilla said. “This is not a data center meeting. You’re allowed to speak about data centers and that’s your privilege, but we also give rights to other people to talk about the roads. We’ve got work to do on that. We’ve got a lot of things we need to discuss and talk about and, unfortunately, you’ve heard us reference finance. We are strapped.”
As has been stated at nearly every meeting since people began speaking about data centers at the meetings, Castrilla reiterated that nobody on council has been approached about anything.
“We as council, or me, I have not been approached about anything other than you folks getting us started,” Castrilla said. “I’m not going to say where there’s smoke, there’s not fire because, obviously, there’s things going on. I don’t know. But, none of us – none of us – have been approached by no one and nobody.”
Castrilla noted that council is taking measures on the topic with the ad hoc committee, then he said he was tired.
“I’m getting tired of some of the condescending remarks about what we do,” Castrilla said. “I do my best and what I depend on as a council person, is Mr. Sanford’s been hired to do a job.”
Approximately 10 people spoke out against data centers and for a moratorium during the meeting.
Pastor Joshua Krenz spoke on behalf of Good Shepard Lutheran Church, which recently dedicated solar panels on its church building.
“During the dedication service, we focused the call we have as faithful people to be good stewards of all that we have been given by God,” Krenz said. “We believe that being a good steward is to take care, not to exploit nor ignore the gifts of creation and the gifts of technology. I stand and speak before you this evening to convey our concerns about a possible data center coming to Conneaut in terms of care of what we in Conneaut have been given and what we are in charge.”
Krenz noted that the city has the lake, a beautiful river system, beautiful lands, quietness, dark skies and a loving community. He said that the people have been charged with the care of all that they have been given.
“I speak, to represent Good Shepard Lutheran Church, to ask for time to study what impacts a data center will have on creation, on the lake, the creek, the lands, the noise, the light and the community impact. We ask that city council place a temporary moratorium on granting or issuing new permits, processing application of permits and receiving a request for permits for data centers within our city limits,” he said.
“We believe this ordinance will allow time to study this impact on creation within our created and loved community,” Krenz continued.
Carol Jones noted the importance of Conneaut Creek to the area.
“Conneaut Creek has shaped this area for centuries,” Jones said. “It was important to Native Americans, the Erie, the Seneca, the Iroquois. The name Conneaut came from the Seneca and it means ‘River of many fish.’ Moses Cleaveland started his movement into Ohio on Conneaut Creek. It is the beginning of the Western Reserve.”
Jones went on to say it was our time to take care of the creek.
“We are the stewards right now of Conneaut Creek,” Jones said. “It is our time in history to take care of it. What would a data center mean for our wild and scenic recreational river? What are the plans?”
Diane McKenna presented a newspaper article to council ask members of council to read it to understand why residents are anxious about a data center being built in the community.
McKenna said she was curious about the status of an ad hoc committee and said she had some suggestions.
“The main [item] I was reading, they had suggested a decommissioning bond be required for any business that wants to come in, be it a data center, be it something else,” McKenna said. “It says the purpose of function is site restoration, which means it pays for removing any physical infrastructure, clearing concrete and recycling or disposing of electronic waste. I’m very concerned about what happens when a data center, in 10 years or five years or however long, becomes obsolete. I don’t believe this is going to be a long-term thing and I don’t want us to get stuck with it like we did with Astatic or General Electric.”
“(A decommissioning bond) covers remediation for potential hazardous materials like backup generator fuel, cooling chemicals and old battery banks. It also prevents local towns and cities from paying out-of-pocket costs if a company walks away from an obsolete or bankrupt facility. I think, for the City of Conneaut, that is one of the most important things, not just the environmental thing, but the taxpayer dollars that are going to be used when we have remediate these places and get these grants,” McKenna said.
Virginia Ryerson said that she felt data centers were a modern gold rush.
“It’s a kind of speculation bubble,” Ryerson said. “Investors are rushing to build these things because it will enrich them. I don’t believe it will enrich this community. It’s going to make somebody rich, but not us.”
Jessica Gunnard asked council to make an informed decision based on what they see.
“Please make this decision on the data we already know, the data that is going to come,” Gunnard said. “We need more. We need more information. We need more time. Wait for the data to show you what the right decision is.”
One resident who lives in the more rural portion of the community read the definition of an agricultural district to council and asked how a data center fit that description. He said he felt that creating zoning overlays felt nefarious.
“You’re talking about community zoning overlays so you can do an end run around the statement of intent of our own code,” the man said. “If it wasn’t nefarious, if it didn’t feel like somebody was up to something, you wouldn’t have to do an end run around it. They wouldn’t have to do an end run around it.”
“It feels like you went to New Albany and they coached you on how to get around what the people here think,” the man continued.
The man then said that a data center will create a small number of jobs and compared it to Graphite One, which will create more than 200 jobs.
“Those are jobs that the people who live in this town could actually end up getting,” the man said. “You don’t need an advanced computer science degree to work at a graphite processing plant because those are dump truck jobs, those are bulldozer jobs, those are earth-moving equipment jobs. Why aren’t you looking for things that encourage businesses to come to our town that are going to help the people in this town and not just some rich guy who’s never going to live here?”
