TRENTON, Ohio — Plans for a massive data center in Trenton are full steam ahead after the city planning commission approved zoning for the project last month. However, some residents against the data center aren't going down without a fight.
Saturday at Gorman Farms, some residents decided to turn their frustration into action.
Braving the cold and rain, neighbors came in waves to sign a petition. The petition is part of a statewide, citizen-led initiative asking the Ohio attorney general to allow residents to vote on bans on data centers that exceed 25 megawatts.
The data center planned in Trenton will be roughly 250 megawatts.
Residents like Barry Blankenship said it's about giving the power back to the people.
“Then the people in the state of Ohio get to say what they want, instead of city governments," Blankenship said.
WATCH: See how residents in Trenton are fighting back against planned data center:
We were at the meeting last month when the city planning commission approved zoning for the 220,000-square-foot data center.
Blankenship said he felt like residents weren't heard.
“They tried to take our voice away from us a few weeks back when WCPO came to us for that meeting and they gave us our voice back," Blankenship said.
There's symbolism behind why the petition signing was held at Gorman Farms.
The farm is owned by Marla and Michael Gorman and has spanned six generations.
The Gormans said developers of the data center approached them late last year with an offer to buy the land. They said they were offered $75,000 per acre for 110 acres of land.
The Gormans turned it down.
“We really cherish what we have, feel very blessed and we want to preserve that," Marla said.
Marla said she's concerned about how the process of the project played out.
"People are upset," Marla said. "They want to know what's going on and they want to be able to have a say."
Prologis, the company behind the project, said it will create 140 jobs, bring in $120,000 annually in city utility fees and operate with a water-efficient design that requires no chemicals and only uses water about 3% of the year. The company also said it will cover the cost of power upgrades and all utility costs.
Representatives from the company have also told residents the data center won't create much noise.
However, Blankenship said he's not convinced.
“They try to say, ‘Well, it’s not as loud as a blender, or it’s not as loud as a lawnmower,'" Blankenship said. "I don’t blend food 24/7, I don’t mow grass 24/7. That data center will never stop.”
Blankenship said their goal is to collect 20,000 signatures in Butler County and 413,000 signatures statewide.
He said Saturday's event won't be the last, adding they're determined to get the signatures they need.
"They say they want unity," Blankenship said. "Data centers isn't bringing unity, it's bringing division."
