Protesters rally against proposed data center in St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Residents gathered outside City Hall Monday to protest the proposed data center coming to St. Joseph.
This comes after city leaders announced a proposed annexation at 6321 SE Pickett Road would bring a campus with four data center buildings into the city.
Residents in the community have been expressing concerns about the data center, many saying that a data center would not benefit the city at all.
During Monday night's City Council meeting, residents filled the council chambers wearing red "No Data Center" shirts and carrying signs.
While the City had no plans to discuss the data on its council agenda, residents voiced their concerns to city leaders during a routine council public comment period.
After the meeting ended, protesters gathered outside City Hall to continue their demonstration.
Conni Muff, a St. Joseph resident, said they are trying to get the word out to the entire community.
"It's not good for the community, it's not good for our neighborhood. I think after tonight's meeting, they're finally listening, or at least I hope so," she said.
Several residents argued that the City was not transparent with the public throughout the annexation process.
"My hope is with these people protesting, with these people standing up and saying no, and people flooding the City Council meeting, that hopefully they are listening to us now," she said. "We didn't get a voice May 26, because we were deceived, we were lied to."
Sarah Filbert, another St. Joseph resident, said she became concerned about the data center once she decided to do more research on the topic.
"I actually found a news article about (it) called Meta moved in and then the taps ran dry. Where they tapped into the groundwater and the folks that live nearby couldn't use their wells anymore," she said. "It impacted the local farms, and I became very concerned."
Filbert will be going to a scheduled Town Hall-style meeting, which is taking place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, at the Missouri Theater, because she feels there are a lot of facts being glossed over.
"Everything I researched today says AI uses exorbitant amounts of water, electricity and also increases fire risks for homes too," she said.
The group, which shares information through the "Say NO to data centers St. Joe" Facebook group, also plans to host a protest at 5 p.m. before the Town Hall meeting and another protest on Saturday, July 18, at the intersection of Belt Highway and Frederick Avenue.
