Private data center seminar attended by 100+ West Michigan officials, protesters outside
Over 100 West Michigan municipal leaders attended a private data center seminar in Dorr Township, where they were met by more than 50 protesters. Residents voiced concerns about Microsoft's planned AI data center, citing potential impacts on local water resources, and protested the seminar's closed-door nature. Dorr Township is currently under a data center moratorium until Spring 2027.
More than 100 municipal leaders from West Michigan attended a closed-door educational seminar on data centers at the Dorr Township hall, hosted by Professional Code Inspections (PCI), an Allegan County-based private company. Outside, over 50 protesters from groups like 'Dorr Township MI, We the People' and 'Together Gaines' rallied with signs and chants, expressing their strong opposition to data center developments.
The protest primarily targeted Microsoft's plans to build a large AI data center in Dorr Township, a project facing significant local resistance. Residents, including Linda Dumond from 'We the People,' raised concerns about the impact on local water resources, as the area relies on aquifer water, and worried about potential effects on private wells. Dorr Township currently has a moratorium on data center development, set to last until Spring 2027.
Kirk Scharphorn, owner of PCI, stated that the seminar was purely educational for elected and appointed officials and was not focused on any specific data center project, attributing the private nature to space limitations. However, Dumond noted that residents' requests to open the seminar to the public were denied, fueling distrust. Officials from several West Michigan counties, including Allegan, Barry, and Kent, were in attendance, amidst ongoing regional debates over large-scale data center developments.