Resident raises data center concerns

Roaring Spring man worried about potential construction at paper mill site

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- A Roaring Spring resident asked Blair County commissioners Thursday morning to look into the data center allegedly being proposed for the former Appvion Paper Mill site in Taylor Township, saying its construction would "completely change" the quiet community.

Tom Holsinger, a lifelong resident of Roaring Spring, addressed commissioners Laura Burke and Amy Webster during the meeting's public comment section. Commissioner David Kessling was absent.

"Data centers generate a low tone sound wave that will be 24/7 and will not go away," Holsinger said. "It is not like a motorcycle passing by your house."

He told the commissioners that he didn't see "anything great" coming out of a data center's construction, except more tax revenue for Taylor Township.

"I know data centers love to throw money at people thinking they'll change their mind," Holsinger said. "I don't care how much they offer."

He asked the commissioners to look into the data center, even if it was just for them to say they weren't in favor of them.

"My stance is, if the data center comes in, I won't give it the opportunity," Holsinger said. "I'll be leaving. I'll move away. I don't want to put up with this noise."

Following the meeting, Burke said it was a difficult issue and that county commissioners across the state "have tried to educate themselves about data centers and how they interplay with county government."

Blair County does not have countywide zoning, Burke said, so their course of action would be through a subdivision and land development ordinance, which would be a yearlong process.

"It's an ongoing conversation and we just don't want to violate any regulations," Webster said.

The commissioners acknowledged that there are a lot of questions surrounding the construction of data centers, with Burke saying they are researching a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance "to see if it would be a good idea."

Webster added that while ordinances can be passed, there are limits to what the government can do in regard to the sale of privately owned properties.

Talks about a possible data center being built in Taylor Township have been ongoing since September, with TerraWatt of New York City eyeing the former paper mill site.

"I have a lot of sympathy for people with concerns of that type of facility being built by them," Burke said. "It's also hard for municipalities looking at their financial situation and trying to see if it would be a benefit tax-wise."

Taylor Township officials have held two public meetings regarding the data center proposal and most recently adopted a SALDO regulating a center's potential construction. Board Chairman Jerome Dodson said during the meeting that "there are many steps after this."

Dodson has previously stated that TerraWatt never submitted an official proposal to the township and that township officials spent countless hours researching the effects of data centers, speaking with professionals and sound experts. TerraWatt would have to fill out a 33-page application to the state before it's reviewed, Dodson said, with the company also being legally obligated to host a public meeting to show the center plans, and then answering questions.

Dodson previously told the Mirror that board members will continue their research and will alert the public if TerraWatt presents the township with a plan.

The SALDO was adopted after about 200 people attended the board's Oct. 7 meeting to oppose the facility.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.