Lessons from Leo: University of Scranton-led tour through Archbald highlights pope's message on artificial intelligence
A University of Scranton-led bus tour brought students and residents through Archbald and nearby Lackawanna County sites proposed for hyperscale data centers. Local opponents warned about tree clearing, power and water demands, environmental impacts, and the proximity of projects to homes, schools and parks, while urging residents to attend government meetings and hearings.
A University of Scranton group organized a public bus tour of proposed data center sites in Archbald, Olyphant and Jessup, combining discussion of Pope Leo XIV's views on artificial intelligence with information from local opponents. Tamara Misewicz-Healey, cofounder of Stop Archbald Data Centers, showed participants land cleared for several projects, including the proposed Wildcat Ridge, Project Green Mountain, Project Gravity and Project Boson campuses.
Residents said the proposals could affect forests, mobile-home communities, a baseball field, water supplies, power infrastructure and quality of life. They support data center development in heavy industrial areas but oppose projects near homes, schools and parks. The tour also highlighted that Archbald Borough Council approved a data center zoning ordinance in November, which opponents said was influenced by developers, while the borough's newly changed council is now asking more questions. PNK Group acquired nearly 81 acres in Jessup through DC VV LLC for a separate data center campus.