People in Piqua are protesting because they do not want a data center in their community.
News Center 7’s John Bedell spent the day in Miami County. He’s been reporting on data centers for months.
A Special Election will be held for voters in Piqua on Nov. 3. Some voters made it happen because they are upset about how the city commission handled decisions for the data center development in their community.
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Piqua city officials told News Center 7 that they respect and support the right of residents to peacefully assemble and express their views.
On Tuesday afternoon, a group of people protested the data center coming to Piqua.
In the Miami Valley, Amazon is building a data center in Sidney, and has a proposal in the works for another one in Wilmington.
In March, Urbana City Council pushed pause on a data center project. And Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is building a data center in Piqua.
As News Center 7 has previously reported, Piqua’s city commission has already approved the data center in the community. That decision prompted some residents concerned about the project to gather enough signatures on petitions to get a recall election for three of Piqua’s five city commissioners, including its mayor.
Voters in Piqua will cast votes in a Special Election on Nov. 3, deciding whether to recall those commissioners and who would replace them if they were removed.
Johnathon Goings was one of the protesters on Tuesday.
“I’m out here to support my community. I want what is best for the community, for the young generation, for the older generation, for my kids, and for myself. We just need to get the support out here,” Goings said.
In a statement, the city also called the data center a “monumental win” for Piqua.
Here’s the city’s full response:
What reaction does the City of Piqua have to this protest?
The City is aware of the planned demonstration outside the Municipal Government Complex. We respect and support the right of residents to peacefully assemble and express their views.
Our priority is the safety of participants, employees, and the public. Piqua Police Department encourages everyone involved to follow local laws and remain respectful so the event can proceed safely.
What can the city say about what it sees as the economic benefits of the Meta data center for the community?
We have published a webpage with resources for the community regarding the data center project. You can find that here: Data Center Project | Piqua, OH. We updated the page today to include resources from Meta, including this document highlighting Meta’s investment in Piqua: Meta_Piqua_3pg_FNL3.
Meta will make approximately $1 billion in fixed asset investment in addition to an approximate $80 million investment in utility infrastructure.
The data center project will bring more than 1,000 jobs during the three- to five-year construction period and 100 full-time, permanent jobs with average annual earnings of $100,000 plus benefits. In addition, local businesses and service providers will be contracted to support the daily operational needs.
Meta’s investment would generate significant new local taxes that support the City of Piqua, local school districts, and community services.
Additionally, in August, Meta pledged $8 million to the City of Piqua to replace emergency services equipment and support additional personnel in the Police and Fire departments. Additional details about the pledge can be found here: News Flash Archive - Meta pledges $8 million to Piqua for emergency services equipment, personnel.
“Our community has worked diligently to position Piqua for significant economic development opportunities, and landing the Meta project is a monumental win for our community.
The positive economic impact from the Meta data center project will be felt in Piqua and throughout Miami County. In addition, the investment the data center project will make in public infrastructure will put Piqua in an even better position to land future projects and continue to grow the local economy.”
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