Idyllic Midwest town is torn apart as mystery tech giant plots $1.6B takeover
A peaceful Wisconsin city has been thrown into a frenzy as a mysterious company plans to build a $1.6billion data center on hundreds of acres of farmland.
Menomonie is facing the largest development plans the historic city has ever seen - and its residents are fighting back.
Known for its stunning landscapes and small-town feel, Menomonie may be home to a massive data center that citizens fear will drain the area of not only its charm, but its resources.
'I didn’t have a very good feeling from the get-go; it just left a very uneasy, sick feeling in my stomach,' resident Dylan Goss said to WEAU.
Trouble arose when Balloonist LLC submitted a proposal to use 320 acres of land along a Dunn County highway as a site to store computer processors, servers and other IT infrastructure.
The company itself sparked instant concern, as no one knows who is behind it.
'Who is this company that wants to come in and use up all of our resources and up electricity costs, and use up our water, and pollute our air, and harm our animals?' Goss asked.
The center would use roughly 75,000 gallons of water each day, according to the City of Menomonie.
Menomonie (pictured) is facing the largest development plans the historic city has ever seen - and its residents are fighting back
Menomonie Mayor Randy Knaack (pictured) announced the annexation of the farmland went through in early August
Known for its stunning landscapes and small-town feel, Menomonie may be home to a massive data center that citizens fear will drain the area of not only its charm, but its resources (pictured: a 'no data center' sign)
But it would also improve the city's credit rating - bringing down interest rates and taxes - and would create about 1,000 jobs in the area just during its construction phase, the city said.
Once development is completed, the facility would foster 50 to 75 full-time 'high paying, six-figure' jobs.
The grassy plot Balloonist LLC is eyeing originally belonged to a quaint town called Red Cedar, which neighbors Menomonie.
With the land belonging to Red Cedar, this proposal could not get approved because it was an agricultural zone.
But the City of Menomonie, which is home to more than 16,700 residents, found a loophole - petitioning for the annexation and rezoning for the land.
'The purpose of the petition is to facilitate the potential development of a data center by Balloonist LLC,' the City wrote in a July 24 statement.
About two weeks later, a public hearing was held to discuss the matter, which ultimately ended with the land being transferred to Menomonie's domain.
'Decisions about annexation, rezoning, and development are not taken lightly by the Common Council—or me,' Menomonie Mayor Randy Knaack said in an August 5 statement.
The grassy plot (pictured) Balloonist LLC is eyeing originally belonged to a quaint town called Red Cedar, which neighbors Menomonie
But the City of Menomonie, which is home to more than 16,700 residents, found a loophole - petitioning for the annexation and rezoning for the land (pictured: Google overview of the land)
'The public opinions expressed will be in our thoughts as we explore possible development on the property, along with future development opportunities.'
The adopted ordinance does not guarantee Balloonist LLC's plans will be executed. A a formal proposal for the center must be submitted and approved by the city council.
While proponents of the historic plans have boasted about its potential economic impact, residents are simply not buying it.
Pictured: renderings of the data center
'Why [is the city council] being so non-transparent with this. It took until the end of August for them to actually get an FAQ out about this, and the FAQ’s that they did throw out is minimal,' Goss asked.
A Facebook group called Stop the Menomonie Data Center was started to 'save our city' from the plans that critics say will invite chaos to the quiet city.
'Data centers do not belong in rural America. Why not use the blighted inner cities to build these behemoths and create jobs for inner city people,' one group member, Dog Meier, posted on Monday.
City Councilwoman Sydney Brennan has spoken out on the matter. As someone who voted in favor of the rezoning, she believes the community should give the plans a chance.
She also claimed the reason no one knows who is behind the plans is to 'protect both the company and the city during early negotiations.
Resident Dylan Goss (pictured) expressed discount with the data center plans
The City of Menomonie (pictured) adopting the ordinance does not guarantee Balloonist LLC's plans will be executed
'Currently, neither the council nor the public has been told who the company behind this project is,' she wrote, adding the city administrator had signed an NDA with the developer.
Regardless, a Change.org petition with more than 1,000 signatures has also been launched to hinder the proposal from inching any closer to becoming a reality.
'We refuse to let this project proceed without full public accountability, independent environmental review, and proof it will serve our community, not just corporate profit,' it reads.
'Menomonie’s land, water, and future belong to the people, not to hidden investors or distant shareholders.'
