Letter to the Editor: An open letter to the Lowndes County Commission
An 84-year-old Burkville resident submitted an open letter to the Lowndes County Commission urging them to reject a proposed data center in her community. She highlights concerns about water usage by the data center, potential displacement, and negative impacts on surrounding homes and businesses. The resident emphasizes her family's history of displacement for industrial development and questions the county's benefits from the project.
Linda Loftin Hall, an 84-year-old resident of Burkville, Alabama, has submitted an open letter to the Lowndes County Commission, strongly advocating against the approval of a new data center proposed for her community. The project's entrance would be a quarter-mile from her home.
Hall expressed significant concern about potential displacement and disruptions, drawing a parallel to her experience in 1981 when G.E. Plastics acquired thousands of acres in Burkville, leading to many residents, including her family, having to relocate. She states that the current data center proposal involves land inherited by individuals, similar to the past situation, and questions the benefits for the county, such as few low-paying jobs and a potential 20-30 year tax abatement.
A primary concern for Hall is the data center's water usage, given her husband Lamar Hall's integral role in establishing the Pintlala Water System. She fears that the water needs of the data center could overshadow the needs of faithful local customers and appeals to the water system not to be influenced by profit. Hall also cited risks including increased utility costs, water contamination, higher water bills, loss of wildlife, noise and light pollution, health risks, and decreased property value. She urged the Commission to listen to the constituents who elected them and protect the county's infrastructure.