Hermantown leaders apologize for disparaging data center critics

At a contentious Hermantown City Council meeting, Mayor Wayne Boucher, Police Chief Jim Crace, and City Administrator John Mulder publicly apologized for disparaging remarks made about community members opposing a proposed Google data center. The apologies followed a Duluth Monitor report detailing leaked audio from an internal June staff meeting, where officials, including Crace, were heard using offensive language and mocking critics. Residents, including Rick Davis and Sarah Lofald, condemned the comments as "unbelievable, disgusting, disgraceful, racist, sexist, unprofessional and dangerous behavior" and reiterated their strong opposition to the 1.66-million-square-foot project.

Google representative Tyler Huebner announced the company's mutual agreement to terminate non-disclosure agreements with city officials, aiming for greater transparency. Huebner also provided an update on the project's design, noting a slight reduction in footprint and detailing the planned three data center buildings, three mechanical buildings, a two-story office, and a fire-suppression building. The updated plans are slated for further discussion at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, a Google open house, and a Council work session. Despite the apologies and design updates, many speakers, such as Jeffrey Donahue, remained adamantly against the project, emphasizing that residents "don't want a data center" in that location. The council is still pending to determine whether to accept the results of an Alternative Urban Areawide Review for the project.