Menomonie Residents, Mayor Meet to Plan Data Center Opposition

MENOMONIE, Wis. (WCFW / WSCM) – Menomonie residents opposing a proposed data center on recently annexed land hosted a meeting to plan their opposition over the weekend.

Earlier this month, the Menomonie City Council voted in favor of annexing and rezoning land from the Town of Red Cedar. The request was initially submitted by Balloonist LLC, which has expressed interest in using the land for a data center.

City officials say the vote only covered annexing and rezoning the land, not what will eventually be built there. A representative from the company also said they have no site or construction plan at this time, and construction would not begin until at least 2027.

Still, a number of local residents are expressing concerns about the potential project. Over the weekend, a group opposed to the data center held their first in-person meeting to plan their opposition.

Unexpectedly, Mayor Randy Knaack attended the meeting and told residents he believed the City Council had made a mistake in approving the annexation and rezoning. Despite insisting that he had only stopped into the hosting brewery for a drink, Mayor Knaack took a number of questions from residents about what legal avenues they had to fight against the proposed project as well as their environmental concerns.

Water use in particular has been a commonly raised concern with similar data center projects across the country. Initial plans for the proposed data center call for the use of 75,000 gallons of water per day on average.

In addition to an online petition, the group also plans to focus their efforts on contacting local officials directly.