MARSHFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Hundreds of residents filled the Marshfield High School auditorium Monday to press county leaders and a developer on a planned AI data center that many want stopped.<\/p>\n
The project is a five-acre, Tier III AI-ready facility on Rifle Range Road north of Marshfield, built by a company called Lumon Solutions. Site preparation began without a public announcement, catching many residents off guard.<\/p>\n
Concerns over heat, water, and transparency<\/p>\n
Community members voiced concerns ranging from environmental impacts to noise, lighting, and water usage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen power is used, there is… energy doesn\u2019t… it cannot be destroyed or created. It\u2019s put somewhere. Right now, my main concern is that\u2019s going to be turned into heat. Where is that heat going?\u201d said Seth Atkison, who opposes the data center.<\/p>\n
Others questioned how much water the facility would use and whether enough information has been shared publicly about the project.<\/p>\n
The developer said a well drilled 500 feet deep will supply the facility, with only a few gallons used per day through a closed-loop system.<\/p>\n
County exploring legal options<\/p>\n
Many in the auditorium called on Webster County commissioners to sign a moratorium to stop the project. Commissioners said they are consulting legal counsel to determine what authority the county may have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, the county, have hired the law firm, Carnahan Evans. They are a very thorough law firm. They are looking over all of this stuff. And they\u2019re going to give us a definition from state statutes on what we can and cannot do as far as a county,\u201d said Dale Fraker, Webster County associate commissioner.<\/p>\n
Fraker said county oversight is limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there\u2019s not a lot of county oversight here with planning and zoning or anything like that. What folks in Webster County do with their personal property is their business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fraker said the commissioners want more answers on environmental impacts and have not ruled out additional public meetings.<\/p>\n
Christine Vande Griend, who opposes the data center, said the meeting left her with more questions than answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose answers did not put me at ease. In fact, I think it probably raised more questions than answers. There\u2019s so much that we don\u2019t know about the potential environmental impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lumon Solutions did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n