Hammond Village Board denies data center proposal

The Hammond Village Board has denied a conditional use permit for a small-scale data center proposed by Metered Mining in the village's industrial park. The decision came after significant pushback from residents who raised concerns about potential noise pollution, water usage, and increased electricity rates, as well as the impact on the village's environmental and rural culture. Board members voted 5-0 to deny the permit, with one abstention and one absence, after having tabled the matter in a previous meeting for more information. Sidney Laurvick of Metered Mining presented the project, stating it would occupy roughly 2 acres with three small infrastructures and that the company was open to mitigation efforts like planting trees. He also clarified that the Hammond facility would not be used for artificial intelligence, despite media reports and the company's LinkedIn profile indicating a focus on "AI / HPC Support" and "GPU mining and AI" at their existing Hager City, Wisconsin, data center. Laurvick explained that the AI reference was forward-looking at the time and the building was designed for high-performance computing broadly. Residents, however, were not convinced by Laurvick's assurances, expressing skepticism about the company's claims regarding AI use and fearing that approving one data center could lead to more, diminishing the region's rural character.