County residents protest proposed $1.7 billion South Annville data center

About 50 protestors gathered Saturday in South Annville Township to demonstrate against a proposed data center nearby.

Common concerns included environmental and noise impacts to the surrounding area, along with possible increased utility rates. As people held up their signs along U.S. Route 422, many passing cars honked their horns or rolled down their windows to show their support.

Township resident Laura Warner said she isn’t entirely opposed to data centers but believes they should be built further from communities so it isn’t as much of a disturbance.

“That’s a lot of noise. That’s a lot of pollutants. Put it somewhere where it’s not near residents, where it’s not near communities,” she said. “Look at this beautiful little town. We have a beautiful little town here. We don’t need that type of pollutant in this town.”

Warner, a retired realtor, said a nearby data center would also decrease property values because people won’t want to live close to the large disturbance.

The proposed $1.7 billion project could bring the construction of five data centers totaling around 750,000 square feet, as previously reported by LebTown. 1235 Martina Drive Owner LLC, a joint venture between Inch & Co. and Eastern Land & Resources Co., is petitioning for about 58 acres of new industrial (I-1) zoning across four parcels of land totaling around 99 acres.

Based on Annville-Cleona School District’s millage rate of 18.104 mills, the county’s 4.5925 mills, and the township’s 1 mill, the project is estimated to generate $13 million annually for the district, $3 million for the county, and $750,000 for the municipality

Warner said she is still against the proposal, even with the possible monetary benefits.

“What’s more important? Life or money?” she said. “I choose life every time. I choose a healthy life every time. And children are susceptible to this, senior citizens are susceptible to this.”

One of the concerns raised in a column submitted to LebTown by Thomas Dompier, an epidemiologist and associate professor of athletic training at Lebanon Valley College, cited information about infrasound, which is noise the human ear cannot detect. It is largely unaffected by obstacles, can travel hundreds of miles, and has been shown to negatively affect nerves, heart muscle, and human psychology.

Warner said data centers aren’t a “left or a right issue.” Also at the protest was state Senate candidate Clovis Crane and signs supporting him. There was also one man set up with a sign opposing Crane.

Michael Schroeder, another South Annville Township resident, said people from all political ideologies and parties attended the weekend protest.

“I think it transcends politics. It’s an issue that is neither red nor blue. It transcends political party,” he said. “This is about preserving the integrity of our communities more than anything else.”

Schroeder, who has been a regular attendee of public meetings where the proposed data center was discussed, said the project’s representatives haven’t answered all of his questions, particularly about energy and water usage.

“We’re asking for reasonable constraints on data centers that include limitations on size, limitations on the amount of noise that they can generate, the amount of water that they consume — there needs to be common sense regulations that limit and constrain what is now just a wild west to build wherever you can,” he said.

He said he believes the township’s board of supervisors has the interest of residents in mind, so the protest is meant to show them how their constituents feel.

These concerns raised by Warner and Schroeder surrounding impacts to the environment and utility rates have been raised at several public meetings.

The next South Annville Township supervisors meeting is on May 13 at 7 p.m.