Data center concerns once again dominate board meeting

The April meeting of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors was dominated by citizen concerns regarding the potential development of a data center in the county. Nearly a dozen residents spoke out, raising a range of issues including perceived health risks from low-frequency 'drones' and potential negative impacts on property values. Bobby Coleman of Collier Street near Dublin specifically voiced fears that a data center would emit a low-frequency drone audible within a four-mile radius, which he claimed could make people sick. He also expressed concerns about a decrease in property values, directly challenging the supervisors' motives by suggesting they would personally benefit from approving the project. Another Collier Street resident, Ken Moxley, highlighted the significant water usage of data centers, noting that local creeks were already drying up. Supervisors Chairman Laura Walters refuted claims of personal financial gain for board members, asserting that any benefit would be in the form of tax reductions for citizens due to increased income from a data center. Resident Brenda Blackburn clarified the Board's authority over projects in the Commerce Park, an area owned by 11 regional jurisdictions. Reading from an agreement, Blackburn stated that the 'host locality,' Pulaski County, retains the 'sole and absolute right to approve or disapprove' businesses locating within the park. Betsy Mabry reiterated her request for the board to hold public meetings to inform citizens about the project's benefits and allow them to voice their opinions on what she described as the 'single largest development project ever within our county.' She asked individual board members to host meetings in their districts and questioned whether their allegiance was to Pulaski County or the Virginia's First Regional Industrial Facility Authority.