The data center has dominated our headlines in recent weeks — and rightly so.
I’ve never seen a local issue inspire so much public outcry.
But if you take the word of county commissioner Kenny Hale — who was quoted in a TV news story a couple weeks ago — county residents outside Monrovia support the data center.
That’s simply not true. By my estimation, those outside Monrovia are indifferent at best, generally due to a lack of awareness or information. But if they do have an opinion on the subject — and many, many, many do — it’s staunch opposition. And I understand why.
So many questions remained unanswered about this massive project.
Every other applicant I’ve seen come before a city, town or county plan commission must be able to answer most all the high-level questions related to a proposed project. Otherwise, the request is tabled, and the applicant is sent back to get the answers.
But not so in this case. Heck, we still don’t “officially” know what the company’s name is. News flash: It’s Google. A fact confirmed time and again by local officials “off the record.”
But nevermind the name of the company. What about the biggest, glaring questions that have been voiced over and over by an outraged public? How much water will it use? How much energy will be required? How much noise will it produce? What about the loss in property values?
By the admission of the data center’s own attorney, there’s still a lot they don’t know.
So why the rush? Why hold a special meeting of the plan commission to get approval? I’ll think it a happy coincidence that the approval meant the commissioners would hear the matter at 9:30 a.m. on a Monday. But I digress.
Anyone else with a project of this sort would have been sent back to get their Ts crossed and their Is dotted before coming to present a project of this magnitude.
Then again, most deals aren’t agreed upon before they’re approved. In this case, however, this was clearly a done deal — hidden behind the veil of non-disclosure agreements and closed-door meetings — before it ever began, and any “necessary” approvals are mere formalities at this point. Public outcry is a minor nuisance that must be temporarily tolerated until the vote to approve is taken.
That was abundantly clear back in February when the first 390-acre parcel was steamrolled through — despite widespread, near-universal pushback. I’ve never seen more people show up for a meeting than when the standing-room-only crowd expressed their dismay for hours.
We saw it again last week and again this week, when the county plan commission, the county commissioners and the county council all approved the murky plan without batting an eye — once again, in the face of staunch opposition.
Some came with impassioned emotional appeals, lamenting the drastic changes the project would bring to an otherwise bucolic location in the rolling farmland northeast of Monrovia.
Others came with science, data and plenty of brass-tacks facts.
Our elected officials ignored it all, starting with the county’s “executive branch” — the commissioners.
Hale voted no on Monday, and explained the whys and what fors behind his decision. But no doubt, it was well understood it would be approved before he landed on that choice.
Don Adams, meanwhile, simply told the public to “trust him.”
“This thing has got tremendous possibilities for what this county can become,” he told the packed room Monday morning. “And you’ll just have to trust. And if ya don’t, ya don’t.”
But at least he said something.
Bryan Collier’s silence, on the other hand, was deafening as he offered no public thoughts at all. Save asking for the name and residency of a citizen who wanted to speak, the only words out of his mouth were to make the motion to approve. When Collier has no words to offer, well, something is clearly off.
Meanwhile, these are the same three who voted down the preliminary trailway plan a few months back on the heels of opposition from a handful of landowners. Nevermind the public good, but that relatively small contingent of opposition was enough for them to toss hours and hours of planning and tens of thousands of dollars out the window.
But this project — which will have a very real impact on our county forevermore — was steamrolled through, despite the loudest and strongest opposition I’ve ever witnessed in my years covering local government.
Dollar signs are at work here. And they will continue to be at work. No question, Google will come in and throw a few breadcrumbs at local municipalities, nonprofits and anybody else who will accept the payoffs. That’s how these companies work.
When I lived in Wyoming, natural gas development was a central part of the local economy, and the residents enjoyed amenities normally reserved for towns 10 times the size. Why? Because the massive energy companies knew that community relations were vital, and the money thus flowed.
In fact, a press conference was planned a couple of weeks ago, with Google allegedly ready to announce which local nonprofits would be receiving the first round of “good will” funds. After the Franklin Township data center proposal was nixed, well, the press conference got delayed as I suspect developers got nervous about the Morgan County project.
But it’s coming, rest assured.
And guess what else is coming? More loss of farmland. Reports have surfaced that more land is being eyed, with purported calls to buy all the available parcels they can along the I-70 corridor.
The actions by our elected officials are nothing short of offensive. Their approvals — in the face of such staunch opposition — fly in the face of a government of, for and by the people.
The non-disclosure agreements are equally offensive — and should be outlawed. Executive sessions are in place for a reason, and when you add an additional layer of secrecy, well, you’re no longer a public servant serving the public. Secrecy in government — particularly local government — is antithetical to our representative, constitutional republic.
Beyond the basic intended use of this land, we know nothing of the particulars. And we still don’t. Between the NDAs and the civil suit that’s been filed, our elected officials’ lips are sealed.
Back in February, I penned an op-ed that decried the secrecy involved in this project. But that secrecy has only gotten worse.
Nobody likes to feel blindsided and bamboozled. But that’s exactly what’s happened to county residents — starting with Monrovia and its elected officials. Is it any wonder the kneejerk reaction is defensiveness?
While citizens understandably raise concerns and questions about the project, county leaders have offered nothing to alleviate the angst — instead, voting in stark contrast to the will of the people.
It’s an infuriating display of gall and arrogant hubris.
Plenty decry the D.C. politicians for patting the citizens on the head and saying, “We know what’s best for you.”
I never thought I’d see a day in Morgan County where our own politicians are borrowing the same tactics.
Editor Stephen Crane is a husband, father of four and Morgan County native. Contact him at 765-201-0010 or at scrane@morgancountycorrespondent.com.
