LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington residents packed the Lyric Theatre Monday night to voice concerns about potential data center development in the city, nearly two weeks after the former Lexmark data center was purchased by DartPoints Operating Company.
The community engagement meeting, held by the city, gave the public a chance to weigh in on the issue — and many showed up ready to be heard.
"Raise your hand if you oppose all data center construction in Lexington," one speaker asked.
The crowd responded with applause and cheering.
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Lexington residents can share thoughts on data centers at meeting Monday
Resident Noah Cornett said the moment reflected something bigger.
"For the first time in my life, we have a truly bipartisan (issue) that we can work on together," Cornett said.
Resident Katie Mullen said the gap between public sentiment and what is actually being built is hard to ignore.
"There's a huge discrepancy between what people want and what people are speaking out against and what's coming in regardless," Mullen said.
City Council members joined Ashley Wilmes of the Kentucky Resources Council in outlining a range of concerns about the projects.
Wilmes addressed the environmental and infrastructure implications of newer facilities.
"The newer hyperscale data centers are using less water by adopting closed loop systems, which circulate liquid through sealed pipes, absorb heat from the servers, and then release it through radiators. But these systems use more energy," she said.
She also raised concerns about heat output.
"Another issue is waste heat, since all of this equipment creates heat that raises the temperature of the surrounding environment," Wilmes said.
"There's not a lot of transparency around these issues," Council Member Liz Sheehan admits.
Emergency response readiness is another open question.
"Other questions like does the fire department have the training, the equipment, the water supply to respond to an emergency for one of these massive facilities?"
Wilmes also pointed to gaps in existing regulations.
"Data centers don't normally fit into the framework of existing code... you can leave a community without a lot of options in terms of requiring things like setbacks," Wilmes said.
Last week, the City Council unanimously passed a moratorium pausing the acceptance of development plans.
Council Member Tyler Morton said the community deserves a seat at the table.
"The community deserves a platform to share its concerns and that the public input should always be a part of any conversation that can impact our neighborhood," Morton said.
If you want to share your thoughts on Lexington data center development with city officials, click here.
