MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – Manitowoc County residents are pushing back against a potential plan that would bring an AI data center to their community.
Several hundred people gathered at the Grey Fox Bar & Grill in Mishicot for an informational meeting on AI data centers and the impact they have on local communities. Organizers had to change to the larger venue at the bar and grille because there were so many people interested in coming to the meeting.
“I’m really interested in learning more about it because it doesn’t sound like a positive thing for any of the communities,” town of Two Rivers resident Tina Nichols said. “I don’t want to have anything detrimental come into our communities that is going to impact the water and the environment.”
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Several people who attended the meeting told Local 5 News that realtors have approached them, offering big bucks to give up thousands of acres of their land. One person who spoke with Local 5 News said the realtor visited several times and wasn’t transparent about why they wanted the land or what would be built there.
Popular Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens was also at the information meeting on Monday night. He said he’s passionate about making sure community members stay informed about what’s going on with potential data centers in their communities. He said from his perspective, there have been other instances in Wisconsin where data center companies haven’t been transparent with local communities before moving in.
An AI data center houses IT infrastructure like servers and network equipment used to train, deploy and deliver AI applications.
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Manitowoc County officials cited multiple concerns about one of these facilities coming to their county. They are worried about losing farmland, the environmental impacts of the facilities, and the loss of property value. The equipment in the AI data center also needs water to stay cool, which could raise utility bills if the data center is sharing the same water the community uses.
“I’m looking at the environment, and I’m looking at our energy costs,” town of Mishicot resident Susan Dirkmann said when asked why she opposes the idea of an AI data center coming to Manitowoc County. “I’m looking at how it’s going to impact the future. I’m old, it’s not going to impact me in the long run, but the future, the next generation, and the generation after that.”
We don’t know for sure which company is potentially looking to bring an AI data center to Manitowoc County or where they would potentially build that facility.
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A company called ‘Cloverleaf Infrastructure’ did confirm to Local 5 News that they’re looking to bring one of these facilities to Northeast Wisconsin. The company’s chief development officer wouldn’t comment on whether they were the ones trying to buy land from people in the town of Mishicot. He said that AI data centers bring tax revenue and high-paying jobs to local communities.
Cloverleaf Infrastructure officials recently abandoned a plan to build an AI data Center in Greenleaf after major community pushback there. They also scrapped their plans to build in the town of Carlton in Kewaunee County according to the town’s chairman.
Cloverleaf Infrastructure helps to identify and develop sites for data centers.
