WRIGHTSTOWN (NBC26) — Dozens of Wrightstown neighbors attended their village board meeting Tuesday night to urge local leaders to take a proactive stance against data centers before any proposals come forward.
Nick Sagal, a Wrightstown neighbor, said he wanted the community to act before any formal offer arrives.
"How about we never get to having a proposal because we decide right now as a group and a community that we don't want it? That's what I'm saying," said Sagal.
The board refused to consider a measure that would limit data centers in the community for 18 months, similar to what passed on the lakeshore in February.
Watch the full broadcast story here:
When neighbor Chris O'Conner asked the board directly whether it would consider an 18- to 24-month moratorium, the answer came swiftly.
"Why would you want to pause something you don't know anything about," Village chairman Dean Erickson explained.
"We got to know what they propose before we turn it down," Erickson said.
Many on the board expressed openness to considering data centers. Trustee Mark Leonard pointed to the potential financial impact.
"If it came to the area, and if it produced a billion dollars of tax revenue it would reduce the Village of Wrightstown taxes by 50%."
But residents in the room remained wary. Sagal said the prospect of a data center would push him to leave.
"Frankly this data center scares me, we would sell our home."
Fellow neighbor Kim Heckler shared similar concerns.
"A huge data center in my backyard is really scary to me."
The board said Wrightstown has no offers from any data companies, and any process to build one would take a long time with plenty of community involvement and feedback. Erickson said the board has been committed to transparency throughout.
"It will be in front of everybody in this community, one thing we have been is transparent."
Local officials said any and all AI data center developments will be open for public discussion as they come up.
