Hundreds of people attended a public engagement session on data centers hosted by the City of Springfield on Thursday.
What We Know: So many folks were at the meeting at Doubletree By Hilton that a few residents had to wait outside due to fire marshal restrictions.
What Was Discussed: City staff presented a half dozen topics surrounding data centers, including electricity, water, sound, land use and facilities, safety and community benefits.
What Was the Feedback: Some in attendance say their questions weren’t fully addressed, while others say their concerns were addressed, but there are still a lot of unknows.
What You Need to Know: On June 29th, Springfield City Council passed a 120 day moratorium on data centers, allowing city staff and City Utilities to evaluate infrastructure costs, study operational demands, and gather public feedback to create comprehensive regulations for future data center proposals.
What is the Next Opportunity For Public Feedback? The city has a second public engagement session scheduled for Tuesday, September 1st at the Library Center’s Hatch Auditorium beginning at 4:30pm.
(photo courtesy of Shutterstock)