Neighbors of data center ask for new liaison between Meta and Middleton Township
Residents in Middleton Township, Ohio, are raising concerns about Meta's ongoing $800 million data center construction, citing issues with well water, air quality, and property values. They are also unhappy with the township trustees for signing non-disclosure agreements with Meta, leading to a perceived lack of transparency. Residents have formally requested that a new township trustee serve as a liaison with Meta, and a public hearing for a new rezoning request by Meta is scheduled.
Residents of Middleton Township, Ohio, are intensifying their opposition and scrutiny regarding Meta's $800 million data center project under construction.
During a recent township meeting, neighbors voiced significant concerns about the project's impact on their well water, air quality, and property values, while also criticizing Meta's perceived secrecy. Beth Cole, a resident, thanked officials from the Will Power pipeline, which will supply energy to the data center, for their transparency, contrasting it with Meta's approach.
The core of the residents' frustration stems from two township trustees, Fred Vetter and Mike Moulton, having signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Meta, which prevented them from revealing the developer until an official announcement. This has fostered distrust among the residents, who felt the project was introduced "under the guise of darkness." Chris Coultrip, another resident, questioned Trustee Vetter about rumors of financial benefit, which Vetter denied despite a county auditor's map showing his property adjacent to land acquired for Meta's project.
Residents requested that Trustee Melissa Petrea, elected after Meta's announcement and who did not sign an NDA, be appointed as the new liaison with Meta, a role she expressed willingness to take. Although Vetter agreed to step aside, no formal vote was taken. Trustee Moulton, however, contended that most of the township's 5,400 residents are either content or indifferent about the project, asserting that it is a better outcome than alternative developments like a steel plant. An upcoming public hearing is scheduled for September 3rd to address Meta's request to rezone 39 additional acres for data center parking.