[0:00] We're going to uh convene as the Bud

[0:02] County Commission. Uh

[0:05] we will start with the pledge of

[0:06] allegiance. Just so you know, we'll have

[0:08] flags in the back that we will face.

[0:10] There is an American flag behind us. If

[0:11] you will face that, all please rise.

[0:19] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[0:22] United States of America and to the

[0:25] republic for which it stands, one nation

[0:29] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:33] justice for all.

[0:42] » All right, we have our uh general

[0:44] business. We have orders presented by

[0:47] our county clerk.

[0:49] >> Make a motion to accept the orders

[0:50] presented by the clerk as presented.

[0:52] >> Second.

[0:53] >> Got a motion. Second. All in favor say

[0:54] I.

[0:54] >> I.

[0:57] >> Uh we have our edit registers as

[0:58] presented by the county clerk.

[1:00] >> All right. Make a motion to accept the

[1:02] edit registries as presented.

[1:03] >> Second.

[1:04] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[1:06] >> I. I.

[1:07] >> We have our prior meeting minutes. Any

[1:09] corrections?

[1:11] >> Nope.

[1:12] Make a motion to accept the prior

[1:14] meeting minutes as presented.

[1:15] >> Second.

[1:16] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[1:18] >> I.

[1:19] >> Did not see erroneous assessments or

[1:21] combined ads. We do have our personnel

[1:23] and payroll orders.

[1:23] >> All right. Make a motion to approve the

[1:26] personnel and payroll orders as

[1:27] presented.

[1:28] >> Second.

[1:29] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[1:30] >> I.

[1:31] >> We have our bills.

[1:32] >> All right. Make a motion to accept the

[1:34] bills as presented.

[1:35] >> Second.

[1:36] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[1:38] >> I.

[1:39] >> The state settlements fuciary orders.

[1:41] Just need an off just need a motion

[1:43] authorizing the president to sign off on

[1:45] the estate settlement and fiduciary

[1:46] orders.

[1:47] >> Make a motion for commission president

[1:49] to sign all necessary documents for the

[1:51] estates and fiduciary orders as

[1:53] presented.

[1:54] >> Second.

[1:54] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[1:56] >> I. I.

[1:57] >> All right. And we will come back to

[2:00] budget revisions and board appointments.

[2:03] So for those that don't normally come to

[2:05] our meeting, uh we do have one board

[2:08] interview scheduled. So, we will take a

[2:10] uh short executive session break to do

[2:12] this interview and then we will come

[2:14] back into executive session. Should be

[2:16] roughly 5 to 7 minutes. With that, I'll

[2:18] entertain a motion to go in executive

[2:19] session for purpose of board interview.

[2:21] >> Make a motion to go into executive

[2:22] session.

[2:23] >> Second.

[2:24] >> Got a motion to second. All in favor say

[2:25] I.

[2:25] >> I.

[2:28] Sure.

[2:34] Heat. Heat.

[3:37] [laughter]

[3:38] Yeah.

[3:42] Heat.

[3:52] Yeah.

[4:03] Hallelujah.

[4:21] Heat.

[4:31] Heat.

[5:02] Yeah.

[5:07] Heat.

[7:35] Yeah.

[7:44] Heat.

[8:15] Yeah.

[8:17] Heat.

[8:30] Heat.

[9:09] All right, I'll entertain A motion to

[9:11] come back into regular session.

[9:12] >> All right. Make a motion to come into uh

[9:14] regular session.

[9:15] >> Second.

[9:16] >> Got a motion to second. All those in

[9:17] favor say I.

[9:18] >> I.

[9:19] >> All right. Ready?

[9:21] >> Yep.

[9:22] >> All right. I'd like to make a motion to

[9:26] uh appoint Sherry OD to the Putnham

[9:29] County uh

[9:31] >> tourism to the Putnham County Tourism

[9:34] Board uh to be effective August 25th for

[9:38] a term to expire on June 30th of 2029.

[9:42] >> Second.

[9:42] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[9:44] say I.

[9:45] >> I.

[9:47] >> Okay.

[9:50] >> Thank you guys. We'll get to Sherry

[9:52] Cherry, we'll send you the packet

[9:55] afterwards.

[9:55] >> Okay. Okay. Thanks.

[9:57] >> I'd also like to make a motion to

[9:59] appoint Richard Bowen uh to the Putham

[10:02] County Board of Zoning and Appeals

[10:04] effective August 25th, 2026 and a term

[10:07] to expire on January 1st of 2027.

[10:10] >> Second.

[10:12] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[10:13] I.

[10:41] All right, for our agenda items, we have

[10:43] a proclamation for Putnham County Goes

[10:46] Purple, the Hope Dealer Project.

[10:48] Is there anyone here from the project?

[10:54] Okay, we'll go ahead and uh read the

[10:56] resolution.

[10:57] >> Okay,

[10:59] [clears throat] excuse me. Proclamation

[11:01] Putham County goes purple, the Hope

[11:03] Dealer Project, September 2026.

[11:06] Whereas the National Recovery Month is

[11:09] held every September to increase

[11:10] awareness and understanding of mental

[11:13] and substance abuse disorders and to

[11:15] celebrate those in recovery for their

[11:17] strength and perseverance. hand. Whereas

[11:20] the color purple has been utilized to

[11:22] symbolize

[11:25] the struggle taking place in communities

[11:27] across the country as individuals,

[11:29] families, healthc care providers, and

[11:31] law enforcement agencies face the

[11:33] growing crisis of opioid abuse. And

[11:37] whereas Putnham County goes purple is an

[11:39] awareness campaign focused on

[11:41] prevention, treatment, and recovery

[11:43] resources available in the community and

[11:45] will you emphasize the role local

[11:48] agencies play in combating this

[11:50] epidemic. And whereas Putnham County

[11:54] goes purple strives to promote

[11:55] conversations around the dangers of

[11:58] substance misuse and abuse and

[12:00] encourages a community to take a stand

[12:02] against it. And now therefore, the

[12:05] Putnham County Commission in the state

[12:06] of West Virginia does hereby proclaim

[12:09] the month of September 2026 to be

[12:12] Putinham County goes purple in the

[12:14] county of Putnham and call upon the

[12:16] people of Putnham County to observe this

[12:18] month with appropriate programs,

[12:20] activities, and ceremonies. And now

[12:23] therefore, be it resolved that we, the

[12:25] county commission of Putnham County,

[12:26] West Virginia, in the state of West

[12:28] Virginia, do hereby proclaim September

[12:30] 2026 as Putnham County goes purple

[12:34] National Recovery Month

[12:36] in Putnham County and encourage all

[12:38] citizens to join in this observance. The

[12:41] Putham County Commission encourages the

[12:43] community to wear purple, light up their

[12:44] homes or business with with purple

[12:46] lights, tie a purple rabbin, excuse me,

[12:50] tie a purple ribbon on their tree,

[12:52] fence, or door, make a purple heart

[12:55] display, or get creative and display

[12:58] purple another way. Dated this 25th day

[13:01] of August, 2026, and signed by each of

[13:04] the county commissioners.

[13:05] >> Thank you, Larry. So, kind of following

[13:08] up that uh discussion and possible

[13:10] decision to approve Putham County's

[13:12] application for opioid settlement funds.

[13:15] Uh the county has been in receipt of

[13:17] opioid funds and early on we had

[13:20] committed $250,000 to Marshall

[13:23] University to be part of a leverage up

[13:26] into a larger project. They were

[13:28] applying for a grant to uh help things

[13:31] regionally. uh Putnham County as well as

[13:33] a few other counties had uh joined in in

[13:36] setting aside those funds. Uh we were

[13:39] informed by Dr. Franks with Marshall

[13:41] that their application was rejected. So

[13:44] therefore we have $250,000 in of opioid

[13:47] funds that can be spent towards

[13:49] treatment. Um in talking to Dr. Matthew

[13:52] Christensen who is the region 5

[13:55] represent uh representative for the West

[13:58] Virginia First Foundation which holds

[14:00] most of the opioid money. He said region

[14:02] 5 has a expert panel that can review

[14:05] applications and as they come in. So

[14:08] what we're looking to do now is uh

[14:10] establish an application that uh

[14:13] entities can apply for uh for treatment

[14:16] and we can send it off to uh that expert

[14:19] panel for review and comments back uh

[14:22] just so we can make sure that the the

[14:24] money opioid funds will be spent

[14:27] appropriately.

[14:29] Um, commissioners, you've had that

[14:31] application submitted to you for review.

[14:33] Do you have any comments or questions?

[14:36] >> No, sir. I do not.

[14:38] >> No, sir.

[14:39] >> Okay. Um, with that, uh, if we do

[14:43] approve this application, uh, county

[14:45] manager, I'd ask that you would have it

[14:47] available on the website and that we can

[14:49] make it public for we can start

[14:51] receiving those applications and send

[14:53] them off for the expert panel to review.

[14:56] Right.

[14:57] Make a motion to uh accept the

[14:59] applications for the overall funds as

[15:02] presented.

[15:02] >> Second.

[15:03] >> Got a motion to second. All those in

[15:04] favor say I. I.

[15:05] >> I.

[15:08] » All right. Next up, County Manager Tim

[15:10] Hannah.

[15:12] >> All right. So, what I have today is the

[15:14] bid opening for the Pman County

[15:16] Recycling Bin fencing uh project. Um,

[15:20] looks like we've received uh three bids

[15:23] to uh to purchase and install a fence

[15:26] around some uh incoming uh recycling

[15:29] bins that are be housed behind the

[15:31] sheriff's department. So, the uh the

[15:33] first bid is

[15:44] it's from Ballard Fence Company.

[15:49] Looks like they have

[15:54] all their required documentation and

[15:57] their bid comes in at 18,200.

[16:05] The next

[16:07] is from BPI Incorporated.

[16:21] Looks like they have all their required

[16:23] documentation as well. Um, their bid is

[16:27] for $48,493.

[16:36] And the final bid is from CJ Hughes

[16:39] Construction.

[16:58] Looks like they have their required

[16:59] documentation and their bid comes back

[17:01] at $37,562.

[17:08] That's all the bids I've received.

[17:10] So, if you guys wouldn't mind, I need a

[17:13] uh a motion to approve the apparent low

[17:17] bidder for the project

[17:19] >> and pending staff staff review.

[17:21] >> Correct.

[17:22] >> Okay. Make a motion to approve the low

[17:25] bidder uh pending staff review of

[17:28] Ballard Fencing.

[17:30] >> Second.

[17:30] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[17:32] >> I.

[17:37] » All right. We have the Kuster Ridge

[17:39] waterline project status and update and

[17:41] resolutions for payment. We have

[17:43] somebody from regional intergovernmental

[17:45] council here.

[17:48] Are they Were you given anything to

[17:49] present?

[17:50] >> No, I ain't giving anything.

[17:51] >> Okay.

[17:53] All right. We will move past that.

[17:57] So, next up we have a Putin County

[17:59] Planning Commission resoning request.

[18:02] Melissa, sorry.

[18:13] Good evening everyone.

[18:14] >> Evening.

[18:26] This is resoning request 2026-4

[18:34] for Valda Court Farm Limited

[18:36] Partnership. Desires to reszone tax map

[18:40] 172 parcels 2 and three in Winfield from

[18:44] RR rural residential district to C2

[18:48] highdensity commercial district. The

[18:51] request should be considered in

[18:52] accordance with chapter 8A of the West

[18:55] Virginia code, Putnham County's adopted

[18:58] plans, and the adopted zoning ordinance.

[19:02] The applicable planning documents

[19:03] include the comprehensive plan reference

[19:07] attachment A, the 35 corridor management

[19:10] plan, reference attachment B, and the

[19:13] Taz Valley land use plan attachment C.

[19:16] Full copies of each of these are at the

[19:18] president's seat.

[19:21] Article 150 of the zoning ordinance

[19:24] defines an amendment while article 2000

[19:27] establishes resoning procedures.

[19:30] The RR district provisions are included

[19:33] as attachment D and are intended to

[19:36] establish low density residential areas

[19:39] consisting of single family dwellings

[19:42] and compatible uses. The C2 district

[19:45] provisions are included as attachment E

[19:48] and are intended to provide a wide range

[19:51] of commercial uses requiring convenient

[19:54] automobile and truck access.

[19:57] The timeline and facts section of your

[19:59] summary discusses the specifics.

[20:03] In February 2005, the property deed was

[20:07] recorded in the Putnham County Clerk's

[20:09] Office. A copy is included as attachment

[20:13] F. The deed states that the parcels

[20:16] contain a total of 305 acres. However,

[20:19] this figure does not account for acreage

[20:22] acquired from the US 35 rightway.

[20:25] Current county assessment records

[20:27] indicate approximately 288 acres.

[20:32] April 4th of this year, a resoning

[20:34] application was submitted. A disclo the

[20:38] disclos excuse me the disclosure

[20:40] statement with the application is in

[20:42] attachment G.

[20:45] A current zoning map is included as

[20:47] attachment H.

[20:50] Yellow is RR, purple is I1, red is C2,

[20:56] and blue is IOP.

[20:58] Surrounding properties and zoning are as

[21:01] follows. You'll see tax map 162 parcel

[21:05] 51. It's 141 acres also owned by Va

[21:10] Court and assessed as a farm extending

[21:13] from Canal River south of the US 35. It

[21:17] includes I1 between the Canal River and

[21:20] Winfield Road, RR in the southernmost

[21:23] portion and C2 over the majority of the

[21:26] property.

[21:28] 1729.1

[21:30] 28 acres to the south zoned RR and used

[21:34] as a private residence.

[21:37] 1729

[21:39] 66 acres of woodlands to the south zoned

[21:42] RR.

[21:44] 17210

[21:46] 40 acres of woodlands to the south zoned

[21:49] RR

[21:51] 1724.2

[21:53] 2 32 acres of woodlands to the southeast

[21:57] zoned IOP

[21:59] and 1724

[22:01] 95 acres zoned C2 previously used as a

[22:05] golf course extending from US Route 35

[22:08] to the Canal River.

[22:11] If approved, the resoning would create a

[22:13] continuous area of C2 and industrial

[22:16] zone property between the existing

[22:18] zoning districts rather than maintaining

[22:21] the present RR separation.

[22:24] The subject parcels have approximately

[22:27] 2500 linear feet of frontage along

[22:29] Winfield Road, 2400 ft along Route 35,

[22:34] and 2700 ft along the Canal River.

[22:39] The rights of ways for Winfield Road and

[22:41] US35 divide each subject parcel into

[22:44] three sections. Parcel 2 contains

[22:47] approximately 13 acres between Winfield

[22:49] Road and the Canal River, 84 acres

[22:52] between Winfield Road and 35, and 60

[22:55] acres south of 35. Parcel 3 contains

[22:59] approximately 10 acres between Winfield

[23:01] Road and the Canal River, 79 acres

[23:04] between Winfield Road and Route 35, and

[23:07] 42 acres south of 35.

[23:10] These estimates are approximately 288

[23:14] acres, consistent with the current

[23:16] county assessment records.

[23:18] Attachment I are photographs of the

[23:21] property and aerial imagery. FEMA's

[23:24] mapped 100-year flood plane and floodway

[23:26] are located within the site's

[23:28] boundaries. See attachment J.

[23:32] DOT traffic data indicates that traffic

[23:35] volumes on Route 817,

[23:37] which is an 80 foot wide roadway, have

[23:40] declined significantly due to completion

[23:43] of the 35 project, resulting in

[23:46] underutilization of a roadway capable of

[23:48] accommodating higher volumes.

[23:52] The subject land is approximately 1,200

[23:55] f feet from a tiff district. Attachment

[23:58] K shows the existing tiff in yellow.

[24:02] Water service is available through West

[24:04] Virginia American. This property will

[24:07] have a sewer service um available along

[24:11] Winfield Road once sewer easements are

[24:13] finalized and the current sewer

[24:15] expansion project complete.

[24:18] On June 25th, the planning commission

[24:21] held a public hearing for the subject

[24:23] application.

[24:25] Public comments received are detailed in

[24:27] Roman numeral six of your packet. After

[24:30] closing the public hearing, the planning

[24:32] commission deliberated and unanimously

[24:35] re recommended approval citing the

[24:38] creation of a continuous C2 and

[24:40] industrially zoned area, elimination of

[24:44] the existing RR zoning separation, and

[24:47] the parcel's substantial frontage along

[24:49] Route 35 and Winfield Road. That same

[24:53] evening, staff did verbally announce

[24:55] that this application would be presented

[24:57] tonight.

[24:58] On July 9th and 16th, legal

[25:01] advertisement for the subject resoning

[25:03] request and tonight's meeting was

[25:05] published in the Hurricane Breeze. On

[25:08] July 17, abuing land owners within 250

[25:11] ft were sent certified notice of

[25:13] tonight's agenda. Planning Commission

[25:16] attendees who provided a mailing address

[25:18] but were outside the 250 foot area were

[25:22] notified by regular mail. Signs were

[25:24] posted on site August 18. To date, the

[25:28] only public comments received were

[25:30] during the public commission the public

[25:32] hearing at the planning commission.

[25:35] Spot zoning is recognized as a zoning

[25:37] amendment that is invalid because it is

[25:39] inconsistent with a comprehensive or

[25:41] well-considered plan. A resoning

[25:44] decision should not be based on a

[25:46] specific proposed use. Rather, the

[25:49] application should be evaluated based on

[25:51] the permitted uses of the requested

[25:53] zoning classification.

[25:55] If approved, the land owner would be

[25:57] entitled to any permitted C2 use just as

[26:00] the property is currently entitled to

[26:03] any permitted RR use. Your different

[26:06] options for tonight, there are four. You

[26:09] may table the matter if you desire

[26:11] additional information.

[26:13] You may approve the application as

[26:15] requested if you find that it protects

[26:17] and promotes the public health, safety,

[26:20] convenience, morals, and general welfare

[26:23] and meets the intent of the referenced

[26:24] planning documents.

[26:27] You may deny the request if you find

[26:29] that it does not protect and promote as

[26:31] referenced. And you may approve in part

[26:34] and deny in part if you find that only a

[26:37] portion of the request meets the needed

[26:39] standards. Um, on the back sheet of your

[26:42] packet, you'll find the resoning

[26:43] worksheet as normal, and I will do my

[26:46] best to answer questions if you have

[26:48] them.

[26:49] >> Thank you, Melissa. Commissioners, any

[26:51] questions, staff, before we go into

[26:52] public hearing?

[26:53] >> No, sir. I do not.

[26:55] >> No, sir.

[26:56] >> All right. I'll entertain a motion for

[26:57] public hearing.

[26:58] >> Make a motion for public hearing.

[27:00] >> Second.

[27:01] >> Got a motion to second. All those in

[27:02] favor say I.

[27:03] >> I. I.

[27:03] >> So, this is a public hearing regarding

[27:05] this resoning request. Is there anyone

[27:07] that would like to make public comment

[27:09] regarding this request? Yes, ma'am. If

[27:11] you would please come to the microphone,

[27:12] state your name and address for the

[27:14] record.

[27:17] » Hi, my name is Marilyn Fost. I live in

[27:19] Nitro.

[27:21] Um, I'm going to make a comment that I

[27:23] will hope you will bear with me and the

[27:25] people will bear with me for my first

[27:27] comment. I don't believe in socialism. I

[27:30] don't believe in communism. I believe

[27:32] that people work for what they want and

[27:35] what they need. I believe that um um you

[27:40] get what you pay for. My first thing is I don't want more of these people,

[27:44] but I know they're here, but I'm also

[27:45] going to comment on that also.

[27:47] >> Well, let's let's keep this one just to

[27:49] this reasonzoning request that we'll

[27:51] have another public comment for anything

[27:52] else not on the agenda later on.

[27:54] >> For so for the data center.

[27:56] >> Yeah. Anything not on the agenda.

[27:58] Correct. This is

[27:58] >> anything but

[28:00] >> this is only for this reasonzoning

[28:01] request to reszone this parcel. And I

[28:04] apologize.

[28:04] >> No, you're fine.

[28:05] >> Have nice zone.

[28:10] » Either one. Yeah.

[28:14] » Good evening. Uh, commissioners. Um,

[28:18] >> if you would state your name and

[28:19] address.

[28:20] >> My name is Brian Martin and I've spoken

[28:21] to you several times. uh Fraser's bottom

[28:25] and uh I'm [clears throat] here because

[28:28] of the data centers, but uh I noticed in

[28:31] this resolution or this proposal here

[28:34] that you're uh wanting to go from rural

[28:36] residential district to high density

[28:39] commercial district and uh that catches

[28:42] my eye because data centers are high

[28:44] density impact and uh those are that's

[28:47] what this is and this is red we just

[28:49] look at it it's red on the river you

[28:51] know they want land they want water I

[28:53] would like to know who is wanting to

[28:55] make this high density, who who is

[28:57] asking this and what are they going to

[28:59] put there. Thank you.

[29:00] >> Yep. So, just for clarification, uh the

[29:03] Vakart Farms is the land owner and they

[29:07] don't have to tell us what their intent

[29:08] is. They're just asking for reasonzoning

[29:10] of property.

[29:11] >> What was the name of that company?

[29:12] >> Valdacort Farms. Valda Court, V A L D.

[29:17] And they they may choose to speak uh as

[29:20] well during this this process.

[29:25] Mike, do you want to speak?

[29:29] Uh Mike Moeller, hello 57 Tate Hollow

[29:32] Road in Hurricane. Um on on this issue

[29:36] alone,

[29:38] let's take it slow. Let's not make any

[29:40] decisions on this today because you can

[29:43] see all these people are here because of

[29:44] a decision that was made hastily. Um, so

[29:48] I would ask that you all table this for

[29:51] now, have some more discussions about

[29:53] it, look into the impacts of what this

[29:56] is going to do to the county, both

[29:58] negative and positive, and just uh just

[30:01] slow things down a little bit and keep

[30:04] us in the loop. We'll continue to show

[30:05] up and be here for you. Thank you.

[30:09] >> Anyone else like to make public comment

[30:10] regarding this issue?

[30:13] Shirley.

[30:17] I had your name written down first,

[30:18] Shirley.

[30:23] » Well, hello everybody. Glad to see this

[30:26] fall. Um, I've lived in Frasier's Bottom

[30:29] all my life. I just want to make a

[30:32] comment because I've been following the

[30:34] Smith property. Um, I actually used to

[30:37] babysit for them. Uh in February of

[30:40] 2023,

[30:42] uh I went to a county commission meeting

[30:46] and um uh the county commissioners voted

[30:51] 2 to one. Ellis was okay. They said no

[30:55] from going to rural residential to C2

[30:58] due to traffic concerns.

[31:01] December the 28th, 2023,

[31:05] unanimous they voted 3 to nothing. C2,

[31:09] highly commercial, 35 acres,

[31:13] 600 parking spaces, three shifts. That's

[31:16] 1800 cars on Route 35.

[31:19] When they voted three to nothing, I

[31:21] thought, "Wow,

[31:24] you wouldn't do it for this, but now

[31:26] you're doing it for you. Look who's who

[31:29] owns the property." That's all I'm

[31:31] saying. And um

[31:34] I just want to say we all vote

[31:38] That is our power and the only power we

[31:41] have. We need some new blood. Thank you.

[31:45] [applause]

[31:50] Anyone else?

[31:52] [applause]

[31:53] Anyone else regarding this issue?

[31:58] All right. Entertain a motion to close

[32:00] public hearing.

[32:01] >> Make a motion to close public hearing.

[32:03] >> Second. Got a motion second. All in

[32:05] favor say I. I. I.

[32:07] All right, gentlemen, you have the

[32:09] packets before you and as it's been laid

[32:12] out. Um, so as we look at how uh this

[32:17] proposed resoning uh along US Route 35

[32:23] um affects our US 35 corridor management

[32:26] plan, our TA Valley land use plan, our

[32:28] comprehensive plan, uh things to

[32:31] consider. We have to consider how it

[32:32] impacts the community, but we also have

[32:34] to consider the land owner of why um if

[32:39] we chose not to reszone, why we we would

[32:42] choose not to resone his property

[32:43] compared to other uh properties in the

[32:46] area. Um

[32:48] first off, any other questions of staff

[32:51] before we deliberate?

[32:53] >> Yes, sir. county.

[32:55] >> So the first question we have to ask,

[32:57] will the proposed amendment protect and

[32:59] promote the public health, safety,

[33:01] convenience, morals, and general

[33:02] welfare?

[33:04] >> Commissioner Ellis,

[33:06] >> my answer to that is yes, it will. In

[33:08] fact, the the 35 quarter plan, the uh

[33:15] the land use plan, that's why Route 35

[33:18] was built is to access West Virginia

[33:21] better. uh to to bring West Virginia in into the the the current I say future

[33:28] of of the United States, the uh

[33:33] the land owner has every right to to

[33:36] apply for a a reszoning of his

[33:40] personally held properties as anyone

[33:42] does. Uh so my answer to that would be

[33:46] yes.

[33:47] >> Mr. reverse it.

[33:49] >> I think a lot of the property

[33:50] surrounding it is already zoned that way

[33:53] anyway. So, I don't really see a big

[33:55] downside to it. So, I would say yes.

[33:58] >> Okay. I would also say yes, this is

[34:00] consistent along US35

[34:02] um with the land owner. He has

[34:04] additional land in the area that's

[34:06] already zoned C2. Um, you know, I I

[34:09] don't think we have the ability to deny

[34:11] his request to change the usage. I do

[34:15] understand u we've had many discussions

[34:17] in these chambers about traffic on 35

[34:20] and and the accidents that we've have

[34:22] there and we we fully understand that

[34:24] and we will continue to to put pressure

[34:26] on DOT regarding those issues but again

[34:30] um we have to have justification in

[34:33] order to deny this application which I

[34:34] feel like we don't have. Number two, is

[34:37] the amendment consistent in achieving

[34:39] the objectives of the adopted

[34:40] comprehensive plan, US 35 corridor

[34:42] management plan, and the Taz Valley land

[34:44] use plan? Commissioner Ellis,

[34:46] >> answer is yes, it does. Uh it is yes to all three of those. And um again, it

[34:54] is why

[34:55] >> would you speak up? It's why that the uh

[34:59] route 35 was was constructed

[35:02] again to to access West Virginia to a

[35:05] broader market. So my answer to that is

[35:08] yes.

[35:09] >> Commissioner Pearson.

[35:11] >> Obviously with its uh location there by

[35:14] US35 I think it does meet the u

[35:17] objectives of that comprehensive plan.

[35:19] So I would say yes.

[35:21] >> I would also say yes along with the

[35:23] frontage that it has along US35. Uh, it

[35:26] absolutely fits into the US35 corridor

[35:29] management plan and the Taz Valley land

[35:31] use plan that were created in the

[35:32] mid90s.

[35:34] All right, answering one and two. We

[35:36] don't have to go to number three. With

[35:38] that, we'll go back to our agenda and

[35:41] I'll entertain a motion.

[35:43] >> All right, I'll make a motion to approve

[35:46] the reasonzoning request by Victor Court

[35:48] Farms as presented.

[35:49] >> Second.

[35:50] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[35:52] say I. I. I.

[35:58] All right. Uh we have a have a grant

[36:01] contract. Tim Hannah.

[36:03] >> All right. [clears throat]

[36:05] So we have applied for and received uh

[36:09] HABA which is helping Americans vote act

[36:11] security fund uh grant

[36:14] uh funds for the county clerk's office.

[36:16] Uh we received $7,572.40

[36:20] 40 cents to purchase election equipment

[36:22] and other uh supplies for the county

[36:24] clerk's office. Um I really just need a

[36:27] motion for the president to sign the all

[36:30] necessary documents for this grant.

[36:34] >> All right. I'll make a motion for

[36:36] commission president to sign all

[36:37] necessary documents on the grant

[36:39] application as presented.

[36:40] >> Second.

[36:41] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[36:43] >> I. I.

[36:46] >> All right. The uh the next thing I have

[36:47] is the 24th cycle funding application

[36:50] for the courthouse facilities

[36:51] improvement authority grant program. Um

[36:54] so this year we are going to request

[36:57] $28,000 you from the courthouse

[37:00] facilities improvement authority in

[37:01] order to purchase a new power unit for

[37:04] our aging elevator in the end of

[37:06] courthouse to to make sure that people

[37:08] can get to and from you the first and

[37:11] second floors used safely. Um you guys

[37:14] have any questions? I do not.

[37:16] >> I just need a motion for the president

[37:17] to sign.

[37:18] >> All right. Make a motion for the

[37:19] commission president to sign all

[37:21] necessary documents on the uh courthouse

[37:24] funding grant as presented.

[37:26] >> Second.

[37:27] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[37:28] say I.

[37:29] >> I. I.

[37:34] » All right.

[37:36] >> Larry.

[37:38] >> Yes. Commissioners, as you know, we are

[37:41] in the process of uh trying to get in

[37:43] the Fisher Bridge waterline extension

[37:45] program or project. Uh there are two

[37:48] documents that we have been provided.

[37:50] They're asking for the first one, which

[37:53] is the uh county commission president to

[37:55] sign a letter of intent for the Fiser

[37:58] Ridge Waterline Extension Project. And

[38:00] then there is a second document that

[38:02] they're asking to be sent back and sent

[38:05] signed. It's the non-federal sponsors

[38:08] selfcertification

[38:10] of financial ability for decision

[38:12] documents and agreements. U and I would

[38:16] suggest that Mr. Hannah be authorized to

[38:18] make that to sign those documents on

[38:21] behalf of the county commission. But the

[38:23] first one in the letter of intent u just

[38:26] requires the president's signature.

[38:28] >> Good with that?

[38:30] >> All right. I'll make a motion for the

[38:31] commission president to sign the letter

[38:34] of intent for the waterline extension as

[38:37] presented.

[38:37] >> Second.

[38:38] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[38:40] say I.

[38:40] >> I. [clears throat]

[38:44] >> I'll make a motion for Kim Hannah to

[38:47] sign all all necessary documents uh on

[38:50] our behalf as presented.

[38:52] >> Second.

[38:53] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[38:54] >> I. I. Uh for those in the audience, this

[38:57] is a $3 million water project out on

[39:00] Fischer's Ridge that will bring uh water

[39:03] to about 70 homes out there. And this is

[39:06] going to be 80% federally grant funded

[39:09] with the the state matching the 20%

[39:12] grant.

[39:15] » And this has been a long time long time

[39:17] coming on on uh Kuster Ridge and Fiser

[39:20] Ridge, by the way. Yeah.

[39:21] >> Yes.

[39:22] >> Is everybody in Fisher Ridge here

[39:24] tonight?

[39:26] Okay, just checking.

[39:28] All right, we will do budget revisions

[39:30] and purchase orders and then we will

[39:32] have public comment for everything not

[39:34] on the agenda. So Tim, you want to do

[39:36] >> All right. I do have one budget

[39:38] revision. It's for the Department of 405

[39:41] prosecutor's office. Uh they are

[39:43] requesting to decrease capital outlay by

[39:45] $3,000 and increase contracted services

[39:48] by $3,000.

[39:50] >> Make a motion to accept the order as

[39:52] presented.

[39:52] >> Second.

[39:53] >> Got a motion second. All those favor say

[39:54] I. I.

[39:55] >> I.

[39:56] >> All right. The first payment order I

[39:58] have is to issue a check from the

[40:01] general county fund in the amount of

[40:03] $25,000 made payable to Hurricane Fire

[40:05] Department for the county's portion of

[40:06] the Falcon Highway rollover tanker

[40:08] training prop.

[40:10] >> Make a motion to accept it as presented.

[40:13] >> Second.

[40:15] >> Got a motion second. All in favor say I.

[40:17] >> I. I. Uh, the next is to issue a check

[40:20] from the dog fund in the amount of

[40:22] $2,262.50

[40:24] made payable to selling associates for

[40:26] architectural design services for the

[40:28] Putnham County Animal Shelters Kennel

[40:30] Canopy Project.

[40:32] >> Make a motion to accept the order as

[40:34] presented.

[40:34] >> Second.

[40:35] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[40:36] say I.

[40:36] >> I. I.

[40:39] The next is to issue a check from the

[40:41] opioid fund in the amount of $2,15

[40:44] made payable to recovery point of

[40:46] Huntington Incorporated for Pton County

[40:48] beds for the month of July 2026.

[40:51] >> Make a motion to accept the order as

[40:53] presented.

[40:54] >> Second.

[40:54] >> Got a motion second. All those in favor

[40:55] say I.

[40:56] >> I.

[40:58] >> And the last two I have are both out of

[41:00] the TIFF fund. Uh the first is to issue

[41:02] a check in the amount of $226,46148

[41:08] payable to West Banko Bank Incorporated

[41:10] trustee for July 2026 TIFF revenue. And

[41:14] the next is to issue a check in the

[41:17] amount of $90,54947

[41:21] payable to benchmark construction

[41:23] incorpor.

[41:23] >> If you would give me our lady here go

[41:26] that tried to jump in ahead of time.

[41:29] We we if we can uh we can finish it off.

[41:31] Uh

[41:32] >> so start over.

[41:33] >> Okay.

[41:34] >> I don't believe in socialism. I don't

[41:36] believe in communism. I believe you work

[41:39] for what you want. You pay for you get

[41:41] what you pay for. One of the things I'm

[41:43] here for for two issues. First one is we

[41:46] passed the levy for Pupman County for

[41:48] the fire department. 5% increase on

[41:51] taxes. I have no problem with that. I

[41:53] live in Nitro.

[41:55] Even though I won't receive any of the

[41:56] services from that, I am fine with it.

[41:59] Everybody deserves to have a fire

[42:01] department. We in Nitro have one of the

[42:03] best that you can have, police and fire

[42:06] department. They are absolutely amazing.

[42:09] whenever they've been needed here,

[42:11] they're there and immediately

[42:13] I have been working with the mayor of

[42:16] Nitro and saying that because we pay

[42:19] already pay because we live in the city

[42:20] Nitro 7%

[42:23] for our fire department. We also pay for

[42:26] five 5% for everybody else that's not in

[42:29] our nitro area which use our services.

[42:33] My problem with that is is that if I

[42:36] need them and they're in Taz Valley or

[42:39] they're here or they're there,

[42:43] I'm not getting what I'm paying for.

[42:46] So, I have no problem with that. But I

[42:48] just feel so I talked to you about this

[42:50] before.

[42:50] >> Yes.

[42:51] >> And now I'm being told that it's not

[42:53] going to happen for the simple fact that

[42:56] well, what if someone dies? Well, what

[42:58] if my family dies?

[43:00] >> Yeah. So, if you have a call in Nitro,

[43:02] uh, PA and Taz Valley will both be toned

[43:04] to come to your home. Now, Nitro will be

[43:06] there first. Absolutely.

[43:07] >> Well, they should go to the other one

[43:08] first that's not in Nitro. They should

[43:11] >> Well, I I'd like all three units will

[43:12] come to your house. If your house is on

[43:14] fire, Nitro will be toned first and then

[43:17] PA. We've got a three system mutual

[43:20] >> already called out to somewhere else

[43:21] that they're not paying that 7% like

[43:23] >> then then Ellaner will come or then

[43:25] Bankraftoft will come.

[43:26] >> I'm sure they'll get there very quickly

[43:28] just as quick as Nitro. whipped beans.

[43:30] >> So, Nitro,

[43:31] >> Nitro also comes to other they come to

[43:33] Taz Valley, they come to PA and

[43:35] >> and you know, I have no problem with it,

[43:37] but I would like for everybody to help.

[43:39] Hey, I'm helping you pay for yours, help

[43:41] pay mine.

[43:42] >> So, we we do

[43:43] >> So, everybody should be paying 12%, not

[43:45] just the people of Nitro.

[43:46] >> So, that is a difference of living in a

[43:48] city.

[43:50] >> It doesn't make any difference. It

[43:51] doesn't matter cuz they're going to be

[43:52] clear out in the boondocks. So, if they

[43:54] take my fire fire department, clear out

[43:56] in the boondocks, they're not going to

[43:57] come for me. What if I So the the poker

[43:59] fire station's right there on Main

[44:00] Street in PO when they get there cuz

[44:02] it's all volunteer. It

[44:04] >> it is. And county is all volunteer when

[44:07] they get there. Instead of being 5

[44:08] minutes, it could be 30 minutes.

[44:09] >> So that's what we're trying to change.

[44:11] And that's what the levy is there to

[44:12] change is we have more money now where

[44:14] we do have paid staff 12 hours a day, 7

[44:17] days a week. And so right now during the

[44:19] daytime, there would be Putin County

[44:21] Fire will come to your establishment.

[44:23] >> Right. Yeah. It's going to take longer.

[44:26] >> Absolutely.

[44:27] >> Yeah. Absolutely.

[44:28] >> Yeah. No respond.

[44:29] >> We need them to get the quick service,

[44:31] but I'm But they're not helping me to

[44:33] keep my fast service. So, cuz if we go

[44:36] up somewhere else,

[44:37] >> we do support Nitro. Again, this is just

[44:39] starting.

[44:40] >> I hate cuz I the money that I give cuz I

[44:42] live in Nitro. You know, it's not going

[44:44] to be a problem in a few years anyway

[44:47] because me and my family have already

[44:48] decided we're leaving the area. and just

[44:51] bring up another comment is um we we

[44:54] moved here from Ohio. I had a friend

[44:56] that worked for the board of education.

[44:58] He says go here. So when I pulled into

[45:01] that neighborhood and I seen all the

[45:03] kids, I remember thinking, is this the

[45:05] house? And then I, you know, I went

[45:07] down, I looked at the school and I'm

[45:09] like,

[45:11] it's in Pman County. I mean, all these

[45:13] other beautiful schools in Pupman

[45:15] County, but being Rock Branch is in

[45:17] Nitro,

[45:19] goodness knows they told me not to judge

[45:20] a book by the cover, and I'm so grateful

[45:22] that I didn't. This one of the best

[45:24] schools I've ever seen, and I really

[45:27] don't want to complain to the board of

[45:28] education cuz I don't want them to screw

[45:30] it up.

[45:30] >> Well, I I'm a Golden Bear from Rock

[45:33] Branch, so I would agree with you that

[45:34] it's a great school

[45:35] >> and it's an amazing school. So, as soon

[45:37] as my grandchildren are done with

[45:39] elementary, cuz I wasn't real [cough]

[45:40] impressed with Poke Middle School or the

[45:43] high school, we will be leaving. But

[45:45] we're going to make sure that my kids

[45:47] get that best education in the

[45:48] beginning. So, we will be leaving.

[45:51] >> Okay.

[45:52] >> And that's another thing going back to

[45:54] this data center that everybody is here

[45:56] for. It's being shoved down our throat

[46:01] with no say. Socialism, communism is

[46:04] what it feels like. because we have

[46:06] absolutely no say and no matter what we

[46:09] do, we are going to pay for it with our

[46:12] water, with our electric bill. I mean,

[46:15] I've already seen the water bill because

[46:16] we wonderful American water just took

[46:19] over the nitro sewage.

[46:22] Wait till you get the bill.

[46:25] >> [clears throat]

[46:26] >> There's no way that a family and the way

[46:29] I look at it too is that Nitro is one of

[46:31] the poorest

[46:33] areas of Pupman County that are in that

[46:35] area. One of the poorest and being taxed

[46:38] and paying the school. It's not right.

[46:40] I'm done. I'm not even going to argue

[46:42] with you anymore. We're just going to

[46:44] leave.

[46:45] >> Okay. Thank you.

[46:46] >> Thank you.

[46:48] >> Yes, ma'am.

[46:53] » Yeah, you're fine.

[47:01] Good evening, commissioners. Good

[47:03] evening, Putham County. Look at you

[47:05] guys. It is great to see such a full

[47:07] room. So, my name is Jessica Lacy. I'm a

[47:10] third-year law student at Penn State

[47:12] Dickinson, lifelong Putham County

[47:14] resident. My current address is in Red

[47:16] House.

[47:18] and I'm also recently accepted a

[47:20] position as the lead point of contact

[47:23] and organizer for Putinham United. Now,

[47:26] I wanted to come before you tonight to

[47:28] introduce myself and to tell you a

[47:31] little bit about our organization.

[47:33] I also want to introduce something that

[47:36] I hope represents the kind of

[47:38] relationship that we're trying to build

[47:40] between the people of Putnham County and

[47:43] this commission.

[47:45] Tonight, Putnham United is bringing to

[47:48] you a resolution.

[47:50] At its core, this resolution is about

[47:52] something very simple. The people of

[47:55] Putham County having a meaningful voice

[47:58] in the decisions that affect the future

[48:00] of this county. [clears throat]

[48:02] Now, I personally am proud to be from

[48:04] Putnham County. We have great schools.

[48:07] We have a nice area. And we have people

[48:10] who care to show up and be here.

[48:13] So, the resolution we're presenting to

[48:15] you this evening, it's grown out of

[48:17] concerns that we've heard from the

[48:20] residents of this county about

[48:22] development, transparency,

[48:25] public participation,

[48:27] and the changes that our county may face

[48:30] in the coming years. But I want to be

[48:32] very clear about res what this

[48:34] resolution is and what it is not. It is

[48:37] not an attack on the commission. It is

[48:40] not an accusation

[48:42] [cough]

[48:44] and it is not an attempt to create an us

[48:46] versus them conflict between the

[48:49] citizens and their elected officials.

[48:52] It's an invitation, to recognize that whatever

[48:57] challenges or opportunities come before

[48:59] Putnham County, the people who live here

[49:02] deserve a seat at the table. And I think

[49:05] the best way to explain that is with

[49:06] three very familiar words. We the

[49:09] people.

[49:11] So 250 years ago, take from five to

[49:15] seven, the founding fathers created the

[49:19] constitution. And in that constitution,

[49:21] they said, you know, we the people

[49:24] in order to form a more perfect union,

[49:26] not an already perfect union, but a

[49:28] union that's a work in progress,

[49:31] establish justice, ensure domestic

[49:34] tranquility,

[49:35] provide for the common defense,

[49:39] promote the general welfare, and secure

[49:42] the blessings of liberty to ourselves

[49:44] and our posterity due here, ordain, and

[49:46] establish this constitution.

[49:49] We the people.

[49:51] Those words are so familiar that

[49:53] sometimes I think we forget how

[49:55] extraordinary they really are.

[49:58] Our system of government begins with the

[50:00] idea that government does not simply

[50:02] happen to people. It belongs to them.

[50:06] And democracy only works when we the

[50:09] people are willing to participate in it.

[50:13] That is what we're going to try and

[50:15] encourage through Putinham United. For a

[50:17] lot of people, government can feel

[50:20] intimidating and inaccessible. They care

[50:23] deeply about what happens in their

[50:25] community, but they may not know how to

[50:27] participate. They may have never

[50:29] attended a county commission meeting.

[50:31] They may not even know who it is that

[50:33] actually represents them. They may not

[50:36] know where to find information,

[50:39] how to ask questions, or even what

[50:42] happens when they walk through these

[50:44] doors. So, we decided to start there. We

[50:48] asked the people of Putham County to

[50:50] show up and tonight they did. We did not

[50:55] invite people here to attack this

[50:57] commission.

[50:58] We did not invite them here to make your

[51:01] jobs harder. And we certainly did not

[51:04] invite them to create hostility between

[51:07] the citizens and their elected

[51:09] officials.

[51:10] We invited them here because this is

[51:12] their government.

[51:14] We want people to learn how it works. We

[51:16] want them to learn to participate. And

[51:19] most importantly, we want to help the

[51:21] people find their own voices.

[51:24] Putnham United does not intend to be a

[51:26] substitute for the voices of the people

[51:28] who live here. Our goal is to help

[51:32] amplify those voices and to help people

[51:34] understand how to use them for

[51:36] themselves. That's what this re

[51:38] resolution really represents. It's one

[51:41] of our first attempts at taking the

[51:43] concerns of the citizens and turning

[51:45] those concerns into constructive civic

[51:48] participation.

[51:50] We are saying here is something that the

[51:52] people in our community greatly care

[51:54] about and here is an opportunity for the

[51:58] citizens and their elected

[51:59] representatives to come together and

[52:01] find common ground. But as important as

[52:04] that resolution is, the most important

[52:06] thing we brought into this room tonight

[52:08] isn't a piece of paper. It's these

[52:10] people. People who cared enough about

[52:13] their community to show up, come to a

[52:16] public meeting, listen, learn, and

[52:18] participate. And to everyone who came

[52:20] here tonight, I want to say something to

[52:23] you. We, the people have

[52:25] responsibilities, too. Having a voice

[52:28] does not mean that we get to drown

[52:31] everyone else's out. If we expect our

[52:34] elected officials to listen to us, we

[52:36] must be willing to listen to them. If we

[52:39] expect to be treated with respect, we

[52:42] must show respect. We must be kind. We

[52:45] must be willing to listen. And we have

[52:48] to be willing to hear something we

[52:50] disagree with without immediately

[52:52] deciding that the person saying it is

[52:54] our enemy. We can ask the difficult

[52:57] questions. We can disagree passionately.

[53:01] We can absolutely hold our government

[53:03] officials accountable.

[53:06] And we can do all of those things while

[53:09] treating one another like neighbors

[53:12] because we the people whether we like it

[53:14] or not includes those who disagree with

[53:17] us.

[53:20] That may be one of the hardest parts of

[53:21] self-government but it may also be the

[53:24] most important. And commissioners, it is

[53:27] my hope that you will help us foster

[53:29] that kind of participation.

[53:31] The people who came here tonight are not

[53:33] your adversaries. They are your

[53:35] constituents, but more than that, they

[53:37] are your neighbors.

[53:39] You are part of we the people, too.

[53:42] There will be time when residents come

[53:44] into this room frustrated, as I'm sure

[53:46] you guys are well aware and used to at

[53:49] this point.

[53:50] >> You sure are.

[53:50] >> There will be times they ask questions

[53:53] you cannot answer. There will be times

[53:56] when they ask you to do something you

[53:57] don't have the authority to do. And

[54:00] there will absolutely be times we

[54:01] disagree. That's okay.

[54:04] My hope is that someone can walk into

[54:06] this room, stand before their elected

[54:09] officials, have what they say what they

[54:12] have to say, even if it's a

[54:14] disagreement, and walk out believing

[54:16] that participating mattered. Because if

[54:18] the people believe that participation

[54:20] matters, they will come back. They will

[54:22] learn. They will pay attention. They

[54:25] will vote. And they will meaningfully

[54:28] participate in the growth and

[54:31] development of this county.

[54:33] That is what we want Putinham United to

[54:35] help foster. We want to build a bridge

[54:38] between this commission and the

[54:39] community that feels so divided at this

[54:42] time.

[54:43] We also want to bring concerns from the

[54:46] residents to you and help take

[54:49] information from you back to the

[54:51] residents. If misinformation is

[54:54] circulating, let us help correct it. If

[54:57] people have questions, help us find the

[55:00] answers. If this author, if this

[55:02] commission has the authority to address

[55:04] something, we want residents to

[55:07] understand how they can participate in

[55:09] that process. And if you don't have that

[55:12] authority, we want to be able to explain

[55:14] that too and to help people direct their

[55:16] energy towards avenues that will

[55:18] actually produce a sustainable outcome.

[55:21] I don't expect that Putinham United and

[55:23] this commission will always agree

[55:25] because we won't. But disagreements do

[55:28] not have to mean hostility.

[55:31] Accountability does not have to mean

[55:33] antagonism.

[55:35] And cooperation does not require

[55:38] unquestioning agreement. There is an

[55:41] enormous amount of space between silence

[55:45] and hostility.

[55:47] That is the space where democracy lives.

[55:50] It lives in rooms like this. It lives

[55:53] when ordinary people decide to show up.

[55:56] Democracy lives when someone

[55:58] [clears throat] who has never spoken at

[56:00] a public meeting before finds the

[56:02] courage to stand at this podium or that

[56:04] microphone. It lives when an elected

[56:06] official listens to criticism. It lives

[56:09] when citizens listen to answers they may

[56:12] not like.

[56:14] Democracy lives when we disagree, shake

[56:18] hands, and come back tomorrow willing to

[56:20] work together.

[56:22] Because ultimately, regardless of where

[56:24] any of us stand on any particular issue,

[56:27] we share something much more important.

[56:29] This is our home. I was raised here. I'm

[56:33] raising raising my family here. And the

[56:35] people sitting throughout this room are

[56:37] our neighbors. We may disagree about

[56:39] what is best for Putnham County, but I

[56:41] believe most of us are here because we

[56:43] care deeply about what happens to it. So

[56:46] tonight, I extend a hand in both

[56:48] directions.

[56:51] We will ask questions. We will advocate.

[56:54] Sometimes we will challenge you. But we

[56:58] will also listen. We will come to the

[57:02] table in good faith.

[57:06] And I hope you will receive this

[57:07] resolution with the same spirit. not

[57:10] simply as a list of demands, but as an

[57:12] opportunity to say that when major

[57:14] decisions about the future of Putnham

[57:16] County are being made, the people who

[57:18] call this place home deserve to know

[57:20] what is happening, deserve an

[57:22] opportunity to participate, and deserve

[57:25] to have their voices heard. And my

[57:26] fellow residents of Putnham County, keep

[57:30] showing up. Learn how your government

[57:32] works. Ask questions. Listen to the

[57:35] answers. Speak when you have something

[57:38] to say.

[57:39] Be respectful. Be kind. And do not ever

[57:43] convince yourself that your voice does

[57:45] not matter because you're not an elected

[57:48] official, a business owner, a

[57:50] politician, a lawyer, or someone with

[57:53] political connections. Our government

[57:55] was never supposed to belong only to the

[57:58] people who hold office. It belongs to

[58:00] all of us. We the people. Not we the

[58:03] politicians, not we the powerful, not we

[58:06] the people who already know how the

[58:07] system works, but we the people. That

[58:10] means all of us. And that's ultimately

[58:13] what I hope this resolution represents.

[58:16] Not just about one project. It's not

[58:19] just about one controversy. And it's not

[58:21] about one meeting. It's about something

[58:23] much more fundamental. When decisions

[58:26] are being made about the future of

[58:28] Putnham County, the people of Putham

[58:30] County should have a voice in those

[58:32] decisions.

[58:34] This is our community. This is our

[58:36] government. And this is our

[58:38] responsibility.

[58:40] So, let's show up. Let's listen to one

[58:43] another. Let's find places where we

[58:45] agree. And when we disagree, let's show

[58:49] each other some respect because Putham

[58:51] County belongs to we the people and its

[58:54] future should be something we build

[58:56] together.

[58:58] >> Commissioners, with your permission, I'd

[58:59] like to approach and hand you a copy of

[59:01] the resolution.

[59:02] >> Yes, please.

[59:12] energy.

[59:20] » So, I'm going to leave that in your

[59:21] hands to [clears throat] take a look at

[59:23] and I'm just going to ask I have one

[59:25] simple request for this evening.

[59:28] Commissioners, will you sit in the space

[59:30] where democracy lives with us this

[59:32] evening? [cough]

[59:34] [clears throat] Thank you. I'd like to

[59:36] turn the podium over to my friend

[59:38] Joseph. There he is. I was looking in

[59:40] the wrong direction so that he can

[59:42] explain this resolution to you a little

[59:44] bit more in depth. Thank you for

[59:45] listening to me and thank you Putnham

[59:47] County for coming here tonight.

[59:59] » Wow.

[1:00:03] So my name is Joseph Deg Grath and

[1:00:06] that's a tough act to follow because

[1:00:10] that's a very difficult space that she's

[1:00:13] talking about.

[1:00:15] You know, it's very easy. It's very easy

[1:00:18] for us to come to our commissioners, to

[1:00:20] our elected officials, and to talk at

[1:00:23] them.

[1:00:25] But it's another thing altogether to

[1:00:27] talk to them.

[1:00:31] And at some point, we have to lay down

[1:00:34] our swords and we have to agree to talk

[1:00:37] to one another. As she said, she brought

[1:00:40] up the words of a more perfect union.

[1:00:45] You know, it's very easy often right now

[1:00:47] to think that the division in our

[1:00:49] country is Republican and Democrat, left

[1:00:50] and right.

[1:00:54] But perhaps it's the relationship the

[1:00:56] people have with the government that we

[1:00:58] need to unify.

[1:01:00] So, with that said,

[1:01:03] this resolution, it's a tricky one

[1:01:07] because you see, if we're going to

[1:01:09] create a resolution that's going to

[1:01:11] stand for the county, we have to be

[1:01:14] inclusive to all of the voices in the

[1:01:17] county or at least with the general will

[1:01:20] of the county.

[1:01:24] And so when we have a resolution, many

[1:01:26] of you here, you're wearing shirts,

[1:01:28] you're wearing signs that say no data

[1:01:29] centers. And that's to be respected

[1:01:31] because everybody has a voice and

[1:01:32] everybody has an opinion and it's all

[1:01:35] very valid. But the commissioners also

[1:01:37] have to respect the voices of those that

[1:01:40] maybe they do want them for whatever

[1:01:42] reason.

[1:01:43] So if we're going to create a

[1:01:44] resolution, we have to have a resolution

[1:01:46] that's on a point that we can all agree

[1:01:49] because that space that Miss Lacy was

[1:01:52] talking about where democracy lives and

[1:01:54] resides, it begins in agreement.

[1:01:58] So with that said,

[1:02:00] I'll read the resolution here.

[1:02:04] So the first part of it says

[1:02:06] [clears throat] whereas hyperscale da d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d da

[1:02:09] centers are massive facilities that can

[1:02:11] have the geographic footprint of a small

[1:02:13] city.

[1:02:14] We can all agree that these things have

[1:02:16] the footprint of a small city. That's

[1:02:18] not in debate.

[1:02:20] That's just a simple fact. Look at the

[1:02:22] size of them.

[1:02:25] The increased energy demand from the

[1:02:28] hypers scale data centers could impact

[1:02:30] grid reliability and energy costs for

[1:02:32] all rateayers while increasing CO2

[1:02:34] emissions. That's also not up for

[1:02:37] debate. That's the n national discourse

[1:02:40] right now is the grid reliability and

[1:02:43] increasing costs. Nobody's arguing that

[1:02:46] these are the cases.

[1:02:49] the extent to which they may argue, some

[1:02:52] people say more, some people say less,

[1:02:54] but that it affects it. Well, that's a given.

[1:03:00] Whereas hypers scale data centers can

[1:03:01] consume immense amounts of water per

[1:03:03] day, depleting resources and risking

[1:03:05] contamination for local users and

[1:03:07] negative ecosystems.

[1:03:09] There's no dispute that these things

[1:03:11] require water and immense amounts of it.

[1:03:14] Again, the extent to which people will

[1:03:16] debate, people are always going to

[1:03:18] debate,

[1:03:21] but that these things consume water in

[1:03:24] immense amounts. That's part of the

[1:03:27] national discourse.

[1:03:29] Whereas the presence of hypers scale

[1:03:30] data centers puts community members at

[1:03:32] risk of decreased property values. Can

[1:03:34] you imagine what your property values

[1:03:36] are if you're living next to one?

[1:03:38] There's no no question about these.

[1:03:41] It also alters the character and the

[1:03:43] function of property or loss of private

[1:03:45] property to eminent domain. That's a

[1:03:47] frightening one that's happening to many

[1:03:49] people. Again, not up for debate. This

[1:03:51] is the national discourse. These things

[1:03:53] are happening all over the country. We

[1:03:55] know they're happening.

[1:03:59] Whereas the presence of hyperscale data

[1:04:01] centers changes the fabric of a

[1:04:03] community with noise and light pollution

[1:04:06] and loss of large tracks of potential

[1:04:08] farmland or reconstruction of the

[1:04:09] national natural terrain. Yes, putting a

[1:04:13] data center

[1:04:15] this is going to change the very fabric

[1:04:18] of a community.

[1:04:20] Now, some might argue, developers, for

[1:04:23] instance, may argue that it's better.

[1:04:25] Some may argue that it's worse, but that

[1:04:27] it changes the fabric is just part of

[1:04:31] the facts. It's just the way it is.

[1:04:36] So,

[1:04:38] that's the whereas statements. That's

[1:04:39] kind of like the the reasons that this

[1:04:42] statement exists. But where do we go

[1:04:44] with this? Do we say we can't do this or

[1:04:47] shake our fists?

[1:04:49] No, we have to have a point of agreement

[1:04:52] between the commissioners and between

[1:04:54] the people. And what's that point of

[1:04:57] agreement?

[1:04:59] Two points of agreement.

[1:05:05] The position of the undersigned

[1:05:07] is that the presence of hypers scale

[1:05:09] data centers in West Virginia

[1:05:10] communities.

[1:05:13] We should evaluate these decisions on

[1:05:16] more than just the financial impacts.

[1:05:20] That's the first thing. [clears throat]

[1:05:23] Okay? Because a lot of what the people

[1:05:25] are being here are hearing is that the

[1:05:28] money, the money, the money, the money,

[1:05:32] the decision needs to be evaluated on

[1:05:35] more than the money.

[1:05:38] And that's part of the agreement that we

[1:05:41] have to agree is that decisions are more

[1:05:43] than just money. Some things matter more

[1:05:47] than just the money.

[1:05:50] And then the next point of agreement

[1:05:54] is that decisions about these data

[1:05:56] centers should reside with the people of

[1:05:59] the communities in which they reside.

[1:06:02] These things impact [applause]

[1:06:10] » [applause]

[1:06:17] » The point of our constitutional

[1:06:19] government

[1:06:22] was that when a decision impacts people,

[1:06:25] the people should have a say in that

[1:06:28] decision.

[1:06:29] Now,

[1:06:31] what is the role of government and what

[1:06:34] is the role of people?

[1:06:38] Because it can't just be that the people

[1:06:41] decide everything

[1:06:44] and our elected officials have nothing

[1:06:46] in it.

[1:06:48] That's not fair either. There is a space

[1:06:52] between democracy, between the people

[1:06:54] and our elected officials.

[1:06:56] You see, the job of government

[1:07:00] is to help us to help you

[1:07:04] to know the decisions that you need to

[1:07:06] make

[1:07:08] to help you to see the things that you

[1:07:10] don't see

[1:07:13] and to provide to you the necessary

[1:07:16] information on the matters that impact

[1:07:18] you the most.

[1:07:20] That is their job to provide those

[1:07:23] things to you.

[1:07:25] Your job is to reciprocate

[1:07:28] and to share with them the ways in which

[1:07:30] these things impact you all.

[1:07:34] And when they do their job and you do

[1:07:39] your job,

[1:07:41] then the decision is made together

[1:07:45] and the people make the decision.

[1:07:50] Because the people are you and the

[1:07:54] people are you.

[1:07:58] But if you don't show up for them

[1:08:01] and if you don't show up for them,

[1:08:07] then the system breaks down.

[1:08:13] But we all have an opportunity here

[1:08:14] today

[1:08:17] to build the system back up

[1:08:20] by agreeing with something.

[1:08:24] It is very easy to agree

[1:08:27] that decisions are more than money

[1:08:31] and that we the people should make the

[1:08:33] decisions.

[1:08:36] And that's the question that we have for

[1:08:38] you all today is can we agree on these

[1:08:41] matters

[1:08:44] and if we can agree on this

[1:08:47] then we can have a common conversation.

[1:08:53] Thank you very much.

[1:08:56] [applause]

[1:09:02] » [applause]

[1:09:03] >> Real quick before anyone else speaks, I

[1:09:05] will say that uh uh on behalf of Miss

[1:09:08] Lacy and Mr. Degraph, I appreciate the

[1:09:10] approach and I I can appreciate the uh

[1:09:13] the time and effort put into uh I I can

[1:09:16] tell this wasn't just thrown together.

[1:09:18] There has been deliberation and

[1:09:20] discussion on that and your approach

[1:09:21] this evening is appreciated by the

[1:09:23] commission. I just want to get that out.

[1:09:25] But we'll carry on public comments.

[1:09:27] Ma'am, if you would state your name and

[1:09:28] address for the record.

[1:09:30] >> Absolutely. Hi, my name is Janette

[1:09:32] Domenico. I live right on the border of

[1:09:34] Putham County and Mason County. I have a

[1:09:37] 48 acre farm going on five generations.

[1:09:41] And I love that everybody showed up. And

[1:09:44] yes, decorum is so important here to be

[1:09:47] polite and respectful to you guys that

[1:09:49] we put sitting here in these chairs. And

[1:09:52] I respect each and every one of you. and

[1:09:54] thank you so very much for your time on

[1:09:57] such urgent matters. I have a couple

[1:10:00] questions you guys and then a couple

[1:10:02] statements and I'll try and be as brief

[1:10:04] as possible.

[1:10:06] Number one, are you guys going to stand

[1:10:09] up for our community? Not just us, but

[1:10:12] our children, our grandchildren, and

[1:10:14] great grandchildren. I'm at the end of

[1:10:16] my yard stick. I'm 64. I've been through

[1:10:18] cancer three times. And the last thing I

[1:10:21] want is a data center that's 4 minutes

[1:10:23] away from my beautiful farm that can

[1:10:26] possibly give me more cancer. Straight

[1:10:29] up.

[1:10:31] In order for you guys to restore the

[1:10:33] local control over our zoning and

[1:10:35] development in Mason and Putnham County,

[1:10:37] which can be achieved by the West

[1:10:39] Virginia legislature, passing an

[1:10:41] amendment or a new bill, repealing the

[1:10:44] restrictive elements of HB214

[1:10:48] that Governor Morrisy did that was so

[1:10:51] shady to take away your rights and our

[1:10:54] rights to even have a voice. That was

[1:10:57] bull. [applause]

[1:11:04] » [applause]

[1:11:04] >> YOU guys can do a thing called a home

[1:11:07] rule and due process. The arguments, you

[1:11:10] can argue that stripping the localities

[1:11:13] of all zoning in horiculture ordinances

[1:11:16] and enforcements fundamentally violates

[1:11:19] the rights of the property owners in the

[1:11:21] scope of the municipal home rule

[1:11:24] charters, which is you all, the

[1:11:25] politicians. What they did was wrong. If

[1:11:28] it was so good, why did they keep it a

[1:11:30] secret?

[1:11:33] There were 30 states in the United

[1:11:34] States of America that governors did

[1:11:37] this to. We are one of the 30 where they

[1:11:40] took away our local politicians rights

[1:11:42] and put you guys on the border of

[1:11:44] offense because you guys got to have a

[1:11:47] budget. If you don't do what they tell

[1:11:49] you, you don't get your budget. I did

[1:11:51] that. But you know what? I don't want

[1:11:54] nine or 10 data centers right around

[1:11:57] from my farm that's going to kill the

[1:11:59] wildlife.

[1:12:01] I have rescued 180 head of horses. I

[1:12:04] can't tell you how many animals I've

[1:12:06] rescued, dogs. I'm a retired equipment

[1:12:08] operator originally from Cleveland,

[1:12:10] Ohio. I love the nature. I can't imagine

[1:12:14] a world where I wake up and I don't see

[1:12:16] American bald eagles in my farm or on my

[1:12:20] farm. the red hawks, the coyotes, the

[1:12:23] foxes, the coons, the deer, they have no

[1:12:26] voice. They can't pack up a suitcase and

[1:12:29] leave. And you know what? I'm not going

[1:12:31] to leave my farm. I am going to fight.

[1:12:33] Even if I lose, at least when I do go to

[1:12:36] the other side to be with my ancestors,

[1:12:39] I will know that I gave it my all. And I

[1:12:42] love each and every one of you for

[1:12:43] having the guts to come here tonight

[1:12:46] because as far as I'm concerned, data

[1:12:49] centers are bad. I can't find one thing

[1:12:51] good about them. I'll go on with my

[1:12:54] notes and I'm sorry for getting off

[1:12:56] track. I apologize. I I'm very

[1:12:59] passionate about this.

[1:13:02] Do you guys know if um these data

[1:13:04] centers have done any long-term impact

[1:13:06] studies concerning the health on human

[1:13:09] beings, the wildlife along with our

[1:13:11] environment in our communities over a

[1:13:13] five or 10 or even a 20-year period?

[1:13:15] They've been around for a while. Do you

[1:13:17] know if they've done any?

[1:13:19] The answer is no, Andy. They have not

[1:13:22] analyzed any environmental impacts on

[1:13:24] humans health. The massive AI data

[1:13:27] centers that are currently being built

[1:13:28] in West Virginia. Not one data center is

[1:13:31] worth our land, our water, or our

[1:13:34] health.

[1:13:36] Real time environmental impacts

[1:13:38] disruptions are happening right now in

[1:13:40] Mason County near Point Pleasant. These

[1:13:42] folks are experiencing immediate health

[1:13:44] and environment environmental impacts

[1:13:47] now during the initial construction

[1:13:49] phases of the Monarch Compute campus

[1:13:51] which is the largest data center ever

[1:13:54] being built in the world. Our country is

[1:13:57] the only one doing this at neck break

[1:13:59] speed. 5,500

[1:14:01] data centers have been built. Ohio is

[1:14:04] number five.

[1:14:06] Flood waters have poured into nearby

[1:14:08] neighborhoods in Mason County, damaging

[1:14:11] homes, creating mold, huge dust clouds,

[1:14:14] making it hard to breathe, poor air

[1:14:16] visibility, constant noise, and heavy

[1:14:18] truck and machinery traffic. That is

[1:14:20] ridiculous. You wouldn't believe it

[1:14:23] unless you pulled out of my road to see

[1:14:25] how dangerous it is. They expect these

[1:14:27] elderly people to sell their homes where

[1:14:30] they have lived their whole lives and

[1:14:32] move where their families are here.

[1:14:35] Where are they going to do? Where are

[1:14:38] they going to go? I'm so sorry.

[1:14:42] Next. The reason why these data centers

[1:14:45] are being built. Who owns the flock

[1:14:48] cameras? Flock safety does. There are

[1:14:50] 80,000 of these AI powered devices

[1:14:53] across America watching us. Flock

[1:14:56] cameras track your every move and

[1:14:58] repurpose all of the data collected

[1:15:00] about you every time you pass them. They

[1:15:03] are a national security risk. They are

[1:15:06] easily hacked. Senators and

[1:15:08] representatives have drafted a letter

[1:15:10] right now to investigate the findings.

[1:15:13] Who pays for these flock cameras owned

[1:15:15] by Flock Safety? An AI powered

[1:15:18] surveillance group? We do. $2.28 million

[1:15:23] a contract. our tax dollars for West

[1:15:26] Virginia. While thousands are losing

[1:15:28] health care, our infrastructures are

[1:15:30] horrible, our roads are being tore up by

[1:15:33] these big trucks and heavy machinery,

[1:15:36] and clean water is still not available

[1:15:38] in many counties, and people still haul

[1:15:40] water. It is disgusting.

[1:15:43] Also, here's something very important

[1:15:45] for everybody to know. Flock does not

[1:15:47] sell these cameras outright. They charge

[1:15:49] a subscription roughly $2,500 to $3,000

[1:15:54] per camera a year. The correlation

[1:15:57] between these flock cameras and data

[1:15:59] centers is simple. Flock cameras rely on

[1:16:03] AI data centers to instantly process the

[1:16:06] billions of vehicle scans their network

[1:16:08] captures monthly. They need massive

[1:16:11] amounts of storage space for these flock

[1:16:15] cameras. That's why there's this land

[1:16:17] grabbing thing happening in the United

[1:16:20] States. This this is just crazy what's

[1:16:23] happening. We have just woke up in the

[1:16:25] Twilight Zone and everybody better

[1:16:27] realize these things do not bring

[1:16:30] anything good to our communities and my

[1:16:32] God, I have done the research to see

[1:16:35] there's nothing good. I can't I cannot

[1:16:38] honestly say this is good anywhere.

[1:16:42] These billionaire companies are trying

[1:16:44] to change our society to a dystopian

[1:16:46] society to to dehumanize us.

[1:16:50] This has got to stop.

[1:16:54] I'm going to end cuz I could just go on

[1:16:56] forever. You guys, I hope I got my point

[1:16:59] across and I thank you all for your

[1:17:01] time, each and every one of you. And I

[1:17:03] hope that the information I'm giving you

[1:17:06] might shake you to the core to realize

[1:17:08] this stuff is really bad and toxic. And

[1:17:11] I understand that you guys are kind of

[1:17:12] on the fence and it's hard for you to

[1:17:14] voice your true opinions, but each and

[1:17:17] every one of you have family members

[1:17:19] here. This is our community and I know

[1:17:21] you love living here, too. Amen.

[1:17:24] >> Thank you.

[1:17:28] [applause]

[1:17:32] » Hello everyone. Uh my name is Mike

[1:17:34] Moeller. I'm the Democratic nominee for

[1:17:37] House of Delegates in District 21 in

[1:17:38] Hurricane and Colon. Uh gentlemen, I

[1:17:41] come to you today uh with a quick

[1:17:43] question. Those flock cameras that she

[1:17:46] was talking about, have those been

[1:17:48] removed, taken down?

[1:17:50] >> I believe, yeah, we did. We were coping

[1:17:52] on an email that the sheriff had

[1:17:53] requested Flock to come take the

[1:17:55] cameras.

[1:17:56] >> Okay. And so, has Flock taken them down

[1:17:59] yet?

[1:18:01] [applause]

[1:18:04] » I I can't speak to the whether they're fully down. I know the request

[1:18:08] was sent and uh Um,

[1:18:11] >> we can always follow up on that.

[1:18:13] >> Um, I have uh a couple things in front

[1:18:16] of me. It's basically fiscal year 24

[1:18:18] into 25 on the opioid settlement money.

[1:18:22] And what you said you all donated $3,000

[1:18:25] to where with the opioid settlement

[1:18:28] >> $250,000 we had set aside to go to

[1:18:31] Marshall University a part of a larger

[1:18:33] grant and we're trying to leverage those

[1:18:35] funds for more funds. Oh, I thought

[1:18:37] earlier in the meeting you all had

[1:18:38] donated a few thousand to a local.

[1:18:40] >> Yes, we have a recovery point. We've

[1:18:42] actually supported recovery point beds

[1:18:44] since 2014 and but since the boy funds,

[1:18:47] we use that funding to support two beds

[1:18:49] for Pton County residents.

[1:18:50] >> That's commendable. I appreciate that

[1:18:52] guys. Um I have a cousin, she was

[1:18:54] addicted her entire adult life for 25

[1:18:58] years. Uh she was dependent on every

[1:19:02] form of government assistance. She never

[1:19:05] worked. Um, and about two years ago, she

[1:19:10] had to go to drug court and she failed.

[1:19:12] And through rehab facilities, through sober

[1:19:20] living homes and things like that, she

[1:19:23] was able to become sober, stay sober,

[1:19:27] get a job, get a promotion, and become a

[1:19:30] productive member to society. And I

[1:19:32] think that's that's wonderful. So, I've

[1:19:34] got a couple of examples here of Canal

[1:19:38] County's uh expenditures when they spend

[1:19:41] the the money from the opioid settlement

[1:19:43] fund. They spent $86,999

[1:19:47] on the Canal Valley Fellowship Home,

[1:19:49] which I think is great.

[1:19:52] Um, they spent, let's see, a lot of

[1:19:56] paperwork here. So, they also spent

[1:20:02] they had to spend some money on

[1:20:03] themselves. obviously for, you know,

[1:20:05] dealing with it. Here it is. Union

[1:20:08] Mission, $249,89,

[1:20:12] which I think is great. Uh, they also

[1:20:15] put money into the um the the jail

[1:20:18] system, which unfortunately those who

[1:20:20] don't want to do drug court, they do go

[1:20:22] to jail, and I understand that the

[1:20:23] counties have an obligation to help with

[1:20:26] those expenses.

[1:20:27] uh they donated $65,000 to RIA of Hope

[1:20:32] and so those I mean and WVU Thomas

[1:20:36] Hospital where a lot of people go they

[1:20:38] gave $154,000.

[1:20:40] I think these are some wonderful

[1:20:42] investments because we can get people

[1:20:45] clean. We can get drug addicts off the

[1:20:48] streets and we can turn them into

[1:20:49] productive members of society like we

[1:20:52] owe it to them because we do. Um, I'm

[1:20:56] not going to get into, you know, the

[1:20:57] peddling of the pills into the state and

[1:20:59] who did that and all that. I'm just

[1:21:01] going to leave that alone. Now, let's

[1:21:03] look at Putnham County cuz I'm a little

[1:21:06] concerned.

[1:21:07] $480 at Jersey Mike's,

[1:21:11] $186.38

[1:21:13] at Enterprise,

[1:21:15] $3042

[1:21:16] at Speedway. This is the opioid

[1:21:18] settlement money. $54 at Sheets,

[1:21:23] $38,944

[1:21:25] at Chick-fil-A,

[1:21:26] $491.96

[1:21:28] at Panera Bread, $99.72 at Giovani's

[1:21:33] Pizza,

[1:21:34] uh $3,519.82

[1:21:37] at Cery, I believe that's drug

[1:21:39] screening.

[1:21:41] Uh what's up with that? I mean the

[1:21:45] individual cost

[1:21:45] >> what what what do restaurants have

[1:21:48] >> it's from a training they put on a

[1:21:49] crisis intervention training so they put on a training they transported

[1:21:53] people they paid for their lunches they

[1:21:55] paid for gas

[1:21:57] those are the individual expenses you

[1:21:58] were referencing

[1:22:00] >> I have yet to find any other county that

[1:22:02] has expenses like that I've I've done a

[1:22:05] deep dive but um

[1:22:07] >> it was training for those drug

[1:22:08] interdiction uh conferences.

[1:22:11] >> Okay. Well, I will give you gentlemen a

[1:22:14] copy of Oh, and here's just one I wanted

[1:22:17] to point out that

[1:22:19] in a direction we don't want to go. The

[1:22:22] city of St. Albins's spent $157,674

[1:22:27] thou uh674

[1:22:31] with the armored group for an MRAP.

[1:22:35] That's not going to help us cure the

[1:22:37] opioid problem. the the cure for

[1:22:40] addiction is connection. It's not

[1:22:43] military hardware and it's it's not a

[1:22:47] bunch of lunches. So, I'm going to give

[1:22:49] you all a copy. I'm sorry. Sorry, I only

[1:22:51] have two. If you all wouldn't care to

[1:22:53] either share or um make another copy of

[1:22:57] Cana County's expenditures, how much

[1:22:59] they spend, where they spend it at,

[1:23:02] because you can make a huge difference

[1:23:05] in the recovery of people in Putham

[1:23:08] County by donating to these uh rehab

[1:23:12] facilities and to these halfway houses.

[1:23:14] And and that would go a long way. And

[1:23:16] >> and that's that's part of our discussion

[1:23:18] with Dr. Matthew Christensen is having

[1:23:22] region 5 vet these applications because

[1:23:24] then they have I think $397 million of

[1:23:28] opioid money and then they can then take

[1:23:30] it to the West Virginia First Foundation

[1:23:32] and hopefully if they do see a project

[1:23:34] worthwhile leverage that up to have a

[1:23:36] greater impact.

[1:23:38] >> That's our goal.

[1:23:39] >> I appreciate your gentleman's time and

[1:23:41] uh if you if with your permission I'd

[1:23:43] like to approach to hand you these

[1:23:44] copies and I thank you very much.

[1:23:49] » [applause]

[1:23:54] » THAT'S ALL RIGHT. THANKS, MIKE.

[1:23:58] SIR,

[1:24:01] my name is AJ Bird. Bird of Prey is the

[1:24:04] ministry that I follow Jesus very

[1:24:06] closely. And I was sitting on my couch

[1:24:09] and I saw a post earlier about this

[1:24:10] meeting. So, it's not a be not going to

[1:24:13] be conventional about speaking to these

[1:24:16] folks, but I am going to speak to you

[1:24:18] and this is what's called holding

[1:24:20] someone accountable following Jesus.

[1:24:22] Okay, folks, we are in that time. Okay,

[1:24:27] AI is going to be joined clay and metal,

[1:24:31] right? Daniel, he talks about it and it

[1:24:34] doesn't stand. And my heart grieavves

[1:24:37] for people, okay? And I'll just tell you

[1:24:39] real quick and I'll I'm I'm going to go

[1:24:41] as long as the Lord tells me. But here's

[1:24:43] the thing. I follow Jesus on the street.

[1:24:46] I go where he tells me to go. Bird of

[1:24:48] prey. I stood I was laying in a jail

[1:24:50] cell. I had cops asking me not to kill

[1:24:52] them at one point. And the Lord said

[1:24:54] through me to me. I helped you through

[1:24:56] these days to show people my ways. And I

[1:24:58] jumped up and he changed my life. Took

[1:25:00] me to heaven and took me to hell. Okay?

[1:25:03] He showed me what's real, guys. And I'm

[1:25:05] going to be completely straight up

[1:25:07] honest with you. these secret societies

[1:25:09] and all this stuff that pull the strings

[1:25:11] behind the scenes. We know about it,

[1:25:12] okay? God knows about it. He's watching.

[1:25:14] He sees you.

[1:25:17] We as followers of Jesus doing this in

[1:25:20] West Virginia, okay? Most people know

[1:25:23] Jesus. Most people know what he did.

[1:25:25] It's not like a big community. Okay? We

[1:25:28] are trampling when we do this to the

[1:25:31] nondisclosure is fraud. Period. It's

[1:25:34] fraud. I don't care. They would hold you

[1:25:36] totally accountable in court if you

[1:25:39] didn't disclose something and they

[1:25:40] signed non non-disclosure agreements.

[1:25:43] So, here's what I'm going to tell you. I

[1:25:45] didn't put a speech together. I'm

[1:25:46] letting him lead me. This is what the

[1:25:48] Lord has shown me and I'm burning up

[1:25:51] inside. And I'm not nervous. I'm

[1:25:53] passionate. Okay? Title 18, section 241

[1:25:56] and 242 is conspiracy to deprive people

[1:26:00] of their rights.

[1:26:02] That's what our government has done

[1:26:04] since 1871. They overlaid the

[1:26:07] Constitution just like they did. They

[1:26:10] overlaid the Bible saying, "Oh, it's

[1:26:12] just grace. We don't have to worry about

[1:26:14] anything. We can go on and sin and do

[1:26:16] anything we want to do. We can chop up

[1:26:18] kids and tell them that they are um a

[1:26:22] girl or a boy." Judgment is here in the

[1:26:25] for the house of the Lord. And we are

[1:26:27] the house of the Lord. If you believe in

[1:26:29] Jesus Christ, if you say you believe in

[1:26:31] Jesus Christ, judgment is here. He is

[1:26:33] coming for us, through us, and we will

[1:26:36] answer for everything. We will stand in

[1:26:38] front of him. And for all the lies,

[1:26:40] guys, we can we can call it like it is.

[1:26:42] We've all lied and we've all fallen

[1:26:44] short. But it stops for us. You all work for us. And we love

[1:26:53] you. If they have the love of God in

[1:26:54] their heart, we love you. We don't want

[1:26:56] to see anything happen to you. But I'll

[1:26:58] remind you that back when we found this

[1:27:01] country for a 3% tax, what did those

[1:27:04] guys do for a 3% tea party? What did

[1:27:09] they do? And and we're taking people's

[1:27:11] homes.

[1:27:15] It's coming, guys. Jesus is not happy.

[1:27:17] These people aren't happy. How long do

[1:27:19] you think this is going to go on?

[1:27:22] Now, I love you guys. I love all of you

[1:27:24] because that's what I do. I cast out

[1:27:26] demons on the street and I draw people

[1:27:27] to Jesus. They get set free from drugs.

[1:27:29] I bring them to my house. I pray for

[1:27:31] them. 25, 30 hours of deliverance,

[1:27:33] praying with them, spending time with

[1:27:34] them, personal one-on-one, discipling

[1:27:36] men.

[1:27:37] What are you all doing? Are you taking

[1:27:39] the money behind the scenes? Show us. We

[1:27:42] know. Okay. We know. He knows.

[1:27:47] Bless you guys. Have a good day.

[1:27:51] [applause]

[1:27:54] Anyone else? You want to speak?

[1:28:00] [clears throat]

[1:28:04] » Hello, my name's Melanie Lacy. I live at

[1:28:06] 60 out of Street in Buffalo. I believe I

[1:28:09] was here a couple months ago and spoke

[1:28:11] to the commission. Um, I had come and

[1:28:15] spoke about our storm runoff problems

[1:28:17] down in the bottom. I live two houses

[1:28:20] beside the water treatment plant there

[1:28:25] um at the end of town in Buffalo, which

[1:28:27] is actually just thousands of yards away

[1:28:30] from where the pro proposed site of the

[1:28:32] Google data center is. But before I will

[1:28:35] start with that, I would like to

[1:28:36] approach y'all to show you some pictures

[1:28:38] of the storm water runoff problem that

[1:28:40] we have down there.

[1:28:43] [cough]

[1:28:43] [clears throat]

[1:28:48] kind of

[1:28:50] if you look at those that's on 10th

[1:28:52] Street which is terminal route 62 by

[1:28:55] Frog City Park

[1:29:01] and then there is a ditch line that goes

[1:29:03] from 10 street right there and it goes

[1:29:08] all the way down between

[1:29:11] there's two rows of houses there's route

[1:29:14] 62

[1:29:15] And then right behind them is another

[1:29:17] row and then there's ID street. But in

[1:29:20] between that property on them houses is

[1:29:22] a big long ditch that goes to the water

[1:29:24] treatment plant for Buffalo.

[1:29:27] Here's the pictures

[1:29:29] of the water in those ditches.

[1:29:35] This continues as part of the ditch.

[1:29:38] You can see I'm not even completely over

[1:29:40] in the ditch. The water is half high on

[1:29:44] me.

[1:29:46] And then this goes

[1:29:50] on down towards the water treatment

[1:29:52] plant.

[1:29:55] And then these are on IDA street between

[1:29:58] my house and Barb

[1:30:02] which I believe is in the audience. This

[1:30:04] is actually the front of her house and

[1:30:06] her property.

[1:30:07] >> So is all this town limits?

[1:30:10] >> The town says that it's the state owns

[1:30:13] it. The state says the town's under it.

[1:30:16] So you tell me, we've had this problem

[1:30:19] before.

[1:30:21] Uh so that's just some of the flooding

[1:30:23] issues. It comes off of the main road

[1:30:26] because the cos and the drain system. We

[1:30:30] are flood plane. Uh most of the property

[1:30:33] on 62 that Google owns is in a flood

[1:30:37] plane. Uh I don't actually have that map

[1:30:40] today but I would love to come back and

[1:30:42] bring you the map which shows from

[1:30:44] Google what they have showing because I

[1:30:47] do have those

[1:30:48] >> we can see it on our county maps too.

[1:30:50] Okay. So, you know what else is flowing

[1:30:52] down through there. U with that being

[1:30:54] said, it is supposedly supposed to be on

[1:30:59] the other side of Buffalo's

[1:31:02] plant, maybe a proposed wastewater

[1:31:05] treatment plant and water treatment

[1:31:07] plant, which will be be being buil in

[1:31:10] the flood zone with also a storm water

[1:31:14] pond on that piece of property.

[1:31:17] But as I would like to go on tonight, as

[1:31:19] I said, I lived at 60 out of Street in

[1:31:21] Buffalo. And I'm here tonight because

[1:31:23] Project Avalon is not simply a

[1:31:25] development somewhere in Pman County.

[1:31:28] The proposed Google data center is

[1:31:30] planned for the property located at

[1:31:33] 22272

[1:31:34] Charleston Road. And this project could

[1:31:36] have major effect on the surroundings of

[1:31:39] Buffalo Community.

[1:31:42] As we all know, it's 1,700 acres on both

[1:31:45] sides of Route 62. And I want to make

[1:31:48] something clear at the beginning. I am

[1:31:50] not against economic development. I am

[1:31:53] asking that economic development not

[1:31:55] come at the expense of people who

[1:31:57] already live there.

[1:32:04] [applause]

[1:32:06] I know what the flood plane means. The

[1:32:08] concern about flooding is personal to

[1:32:10] me. As I addressed you guys once before,

[1:32:13] we just put in a margin home on the

[1:32:16] property six years ago and we had to

[1:32:19] raise it approximately 6 ft to get it to

[1:32:21] above the required flood elevation with

[1:32:24] the level of Route 62.

[1:32:27] Why? Because this is low-lying land.

[1:32:30] This is floodprone area. I had to take

[1:32:33] extraordinary measures just to protect

[1:32:36] one home. That's not talking about the

[1:32:38] homes that's been sitting in that

[1:32:40] community for 20 or 30 years that aren't

[1:32:42] 6 foot high like I am.

[1:32:46] Now, we are talking about changing the

[1:32:48] natural landscape across the

[1:32:49] approximately 1,700 acres that is

[1:32:52] adjacent to me. And this concerns me

[1:32:55] because we will remove trees,

[1:32:57] vegetation, grades, hillsides, and

[1:33:00] replace natural ground with buildings,

[1:33:04] roads, parking areas, and other

[1:33:06] impervious surfaces. You change the way

[1:33:09] the water moves.

[1:33:11] Rainwater that once had time to soak

[1:33:13] into the soil can become much faster

[1:33:16] surface runoff. So my question is,

[1:33:18] commission is very simple. Where is all

[1:33:21] the additional water going to go? Follow

[1:33:24] the water. The project spans both sides

[1:33:28] of Route 62. This makes the existing

[1:33:31] roadside drainage system extremely

[1:33:33] important. Route 62, its ditches, and

[1:33:36] its culverts are part of the drainage

[1:33:38] system serving the area. If the storm

[1:33:40] water from a development this size

[1:33:42] reaches those drainage systems faster

[1:33:45] than they can safely carry it, what

[1:33:47] happens? What happens when the covert

[1:33:50] becomes a bottleneck? What happens if a

[1:33:52] ditch cannot carry the volume of the

[1:33:54] water coming towards it? With almost

[1:33:57] 45,000 linear feet of streams that's

[1:34:01] going to be filled in on that piece of

[1:34:04] property. That's a lot of water to run

[1:34:06] off and that's just on one side

[1:34:08] basically

[1:34:09] across the road on the railroad track

[1:34:11] side.

[1:34:13] So my question is

[1:34:16] if the storm water from the develop this

[1:34:18] size reaches those drainage systems

[1:34:20] faster than they can carry it and it and

[1:34:23] it becomes bottleneck and the ditch

[1:34:25] cannot carry the volume of the water

[1:34:27] coming towards it. What happens when the

[1:34:29] drainage system fails and becomes

[1:34:31] overwhelmed? The concern is not there

[1:34:33] are homes directly downstream of the

[1:34:35] project. The concern is what happens if

[1:34:38] the drainage system backs up and those

[1:34:40] ditches are not clear. If the water

[1:34:43] cannot get through the ditchers and

[1:34:44] culitz, it could come back along the

[1:34:46] road and eventually move into the

[1:34:48] surrounding neighborhood. And this is

[1:34:50] what concerns me. And ultimately, I want

[1:34:53] to know

[1:34:55] where will the water go if a system

[1:34:57] cannot handle it. And and water doesn't

[1:34:59] recognize a property line.

[1:35:02] It doesn't recognize a zoning boundary.

[1:35:05] And it doesn't care what a drainage plan

[1:35:07] says it's supposed to do. If the system

[1:35:10] becomes overwhelmed, water will find

[1:35:12] another path. And in this case, we need

[1:35:15] to know whether that path could be back

[1:35:17] up the roadway and into our

[1:35:19] neighborhood. That's why I'm asking for

[1:35:22] an independent third party storm water

[1:35:24] study be done. And I don't want the

[1:35:26] study to stop at Google's property line.

[1:35:30] [applause]

[1:35:35] Start at 22272

[1:35:37] Charleston Road and follow the water

[1:35:39] through the entire drainage system.

[1:35:41] Follow it through the proposed draining

[1:35:43] system. Follow the retention areas.

[1:35:45] Follow this Route 62 ditches. Follow it

[1:35:48] through the culverts. Then show us what

[1:35:51] happens if those citizens become

[1:35:52] overwhelmed. Show us what happens on Ida

[1:35:55] Street, on Tim Street, on Frog City

[1:35:58] Park. Show us what happens to that

[1:36:00] low-lying area in Buffalo. And show us

[1:36:04] what happens around the municipal

[1:36:06] wastewater treatment facility. What

[1:36:08] happens to the flood plane? I also want

[1:36:10] the commission to look at the direct

[1:36:13] effect of changing the elevation of this

[1:36:15] land if they do decide to build up for

[1:36:18] the wastewater treatment plant. The

[1:36:21] water, it will be filled in, graded,

[1:36:24] raised. The water will have to be

[1:36:26] occupied. The space doesn't simply

[1:36:28] disappear.

[1:36:30] Where would that water go instead? If

[1:36:32] additional wastewater infrastructure is

[1:36:34] planned near the existing Buffalo

[1:36:37] wastewater treatment plan, I want the

[1:36:39] county to explain where those facilities

[1:36:42] will be located, how high will they be

[1:36:45] built, whether additional flow will be

[1:36:48] required, and what effect the

[1:36:49] construction will have on flood

[1:36:51] elevations and the movement of water

[1:36:53] through this low-lying area.

[1:36:55] I want I want the answer with

[1:36:58] engineering not assumptions because when

[1:37:00] I bought my home I had to raise it like

[1:37:03] I said 6 ft in the air. That tells me

[1:37:06] something very important. Elevation

[1:37:08] matters here. Drainage matters here.

[1:37:11] Flood plane matters here. And a project

[1:37:13] of this size cannot be evaluated without

[1:37:16] looking at the entire area as a

[1:37:18] connected system. Existing residents

[1:37:21] should not become the experiment.

[1:37:24] my home on Ida Street, the other homes

[1:37:26] in the community, they've been there for

[1:37:28] decades. Many of our neighbors are

[1:37:30] elderly. Some have mobility problems,

[1:37:32] and some cannot easily evacuate during

[1:37:35] emergency if they're not 6 ft high. And

[1:37:38] some simply cannot afford to absorb the

[1:37:41] financial consequences of flooding or

[1:37:43] major property damage. These people

[1:37:46] should not have to become the test case

[1:37:48] of whether a massive industrial

[1:37:50] development drainage system works. We

[1:37:53] shouldn't have to wait for the first

[1:37:54] major storm to find out. The engineering

[1:37:57] should prove it beforehand. Construction

[1:37:59] is another risk. There is also the

[1:38:02] construction period itself. And we're

[1:38:04] looking at 8 years of construction down

[1:38:06] there. Before the data center is

[1:38:09] completed, there could be extensive

[1:38:11] clearing, grading, excavating, heavy

[1:38:13] equipment, and disturbed soil. And I

[1:38:16] believe it was 66,000 cubic feet of soil

[1:38:20] that they're supposed to be moving into

[1:38:21] that area.

[1:38:23] And that's on the high side of the road,

[1:38:25] not on the lowlying area.

[1:38:28] Um

[1:38:31] before the data center is completed.

[1:38:35] I'm sorry, I lost my pro my place. Um

[1:38:38] anyway, what happens when the major

[1:38:40] storm hits construction? Where does the

[1:38:42] runoff go? Where will the sediment go?

[1:38:45] Can the existing ditches and culverts

[1:38:47] handle it? What happens if the sediment

[1:38:49] blocks the drainage during the

[1:38:51] construction? What happens if runoff

[1:38:53] reaches a neighboring property? And who

[1:38:55] is responsible for someone's property is

[1:38:58] damaged? Those questions need to be

[1:39:00] answered before construction begins, not

[1:39:02] after the damage occurs. We don't want

[1:39:04] to be Mason County.

[1:39:08] [applause]

[1:39:21] The Buffalo wastewater treatment plant

[1:39:24] is an essential public infrastructure.

[1:39:27] My home is in the community sound

[1:39:29] surrounded by that facility. If project

[1:39:31] Avalon adds additional wastewater

[1:39:34] infrastructure and changes the

[1:39:35] surrounding landscape, the county needs

[1:39:37] to know exactly how that effect will

[1:39:40] change the drainage, the flood

[1:39:42] elevations, and the existing wastewater

[1:39:44] system.

[1:39:48] I want to know how far or how high those

[1:39:51] facilities will go. I want to know um

[1:39:54] what additional land will be filled or

[1:39:57] raised. We should know where the water

[1:39:59] will go if the land can't no longer

[1:40:01] absorb it or hold it and what happens

[1:40:03] when we have extreme rainfall events.

[1:40:06] The question needs to be answered before

[1:40:08] construction begins.

[1:40:11] Storm water is my primary concern, but

[1:40:13] it isn't my only concern. The county

[1:40:16] should all examine the construction

[1:40:18] traffic, the long-term traffic, the

[1:40:20] noise from construction and data center

[1:40:22] operations, the waiting nearby on our

[1:40:24] homes, the backup generators associated

[1:40:28] with noise and emissions, water damage,

[1:40:30] water capacity, emergency response,

[1:40:33] property impacts on surrounding

[1:40:35] homeowners, the long-term effect of

[1:40:38] replacing natural land with buildings

[1:40:40] and pavements in field, changes in

[1:40:43] elevation and drainage caused by

[1:40:44] upgrading and feel the effect of the

[1:40:47] additional wastewater infrastructure on

[1:40:49] the existing flood plane. And again, I

[1:40:51] just don't want general asurances. I

[1:40:54] want engineering. I would like to have

[1:40:55] maps. I want calculations. I want

[1:40:58] models. I want flood analysis because I

[1:41:01] have to live there. And that's where I

[1:41:03] plan to spend hopefully the next at

[1:41:05] least 30 to 40 years of my life.

[1:41:08] And I want to know what happens during

[1:41:10] the worst reasonable storm, not just

[1:41:12] what happens under the perfect

[1:41:14] conditions.

[1:41:16] I understand that Google may bring

[1:41:18] investment, jobs and community and

[1:41:20] benefits. And I appreciate investments

[1:41:22] in our schools, our seniors, emergency

[1:41:25] services, and other community

[1:41:27] organizations. But I want to say

[1:41:29] something very plainly.

[1:41:31] A community grant cannot replace a safe

[1:41:34] home. and it cannot undo damage after it

[1:41:37] happens. Google has enormous resources.

[1:41:41] The residents of Buffalo, all we have is

[1:41:43] our homes and our families and our

[1:41:46] community and they deserve to know that

[1:41:49] their safety is being considered before

[1:41:52] the project moves forward. And my

[1:41:54] request to you as the commission,

[1:41:57] I am asking you to require an

[1:41:59] independent third-party impact study

[1:42:02] before Project Avalon moves forward.

[1:42:06] >> [applause]

[1:42:11] » I am asking for storm water modeling

[1:42:15] downstream damage analys an analysis

[1:42:17] extreme rainfall and flood analysis

[1:42:20] analyze of Route 62's ditches and

[1:42:22] culverts. What happens if the drainage

[1:42:24] system becomes overwhelmed and becomes

[1:42:27] blocked? What happens whether the water

[1:42:29] could back up along the roadway and move

[1:42:31] into the surrounding neighborhood

[1:42:34] in places like out of street, 10 street,

[1:42:36] and frog city park.

[1:42:39] Analysis and changing the flood

[1:42:40] elevations caused by gradient in field.

[1:42:43] Analysis of additional wastewater

[1:42:45] treatment facilities and their effect to

[1:42:47] the existing flood plane.

[1:42:52] I want the results made available to the

[1:42:54] public because we the public deserve to

[1:42:57] know. I don't want the genuine assur as

[1:43:00] assurances.

[1:43:03] I want to know what happens when the

[1:43:05] system doesn't work perfectly. We live

[1:43:07] here on out of street. My neighbors live

[1:43:10] here. Our streets are here. Our park is

[1:43:13] here. Our wastewater infrastructure is

[1:43:15] here. And this is our community. We want

[1:43:18] Buffalo to prosper. But economic

[1:43:21] development should improve our

[1:43:22] community, not transfer the risk of

[1:43:25] development onto the people who already

[1:43:27] live here.

[1:43:29] [applause]

[1:43:33] So I'm asking you, commission, follow

[1:43:36] the water, follow the drainage, follow

[1:43:38] the elevations, the coverts, the flood

[1:43:40] plane, and the wastewater

[1:43:41] infrastructure.

[1:43:43] Look at what happens when the system is

[1:43:45] overwhelmed. And before I approve you

[1:43:48] approve the project of this magnitude,

[1:43:50] make sure you have proven that the

[1:43:52] people who already live here will be

[1:43:54] protected.

[1:43:56] Like I said, I had to raise my home

[1:43:58] approximately 6 ft and you've seen the

[1:44:00] pictures of what it's like already in

[1:44:03] that bottom and I didn't even go over on

[1:44:05] the other streets.

[1:44:07] [snorts]

[1:44:08] Anyway, I like to thank you for your

[1:44:09] time, for listening. Um, that's what I

[1:44:12] had to say. I also have a couple of

[1:44:16] things from my neighbors. If I could

[1:44:18] speak on their behalf real quick.

[1:44:21] Uh my neighbor, her name is Mary Tucker.

[1:44:24] She lives at 36 IDA Street in Buffalo,

[1:44:27] West Virginia. She is 79 years old.

[1:44:30] As my neighbor is speaking for me today,

[1:44:33] Melanie Lacy, because I wanted her I

[1:44:37] want my concerns to be heard even though

[1:44:39] I'm not available to speak for myself. 5

[1:44:42] years ago, I made the decision to move

[1:44:44] down into the bottom in Buffalo to be

[1:44:47] closer to my family. I chose this place

[1:44:50] because I wanted to enjoy a slower,

[1:44:52] quieter way of life. I wanted quiet

[1:44:55] mornings, quiet evenings. I wanted to

[1:44:57] sit on my porch and watch the lightning

[1:44:59] bugs come out at night. I wanted to

[1:45:01] watch the birds and the wildlife. I

[1:45:04] enjoy seeing the raccoons and the deer

[1:45:06] crossing the yard as they make their way

[1:45:08] towards the river. Every spring, I enjoy

[1:45:11] seeing the geese come down on the lower

[1:45:13] part of the Google property and they lay

[1:45:15] their eggs and they raise their babies.

[1:45:18] These may seem like small things to some

[1:45:20] people, but at 79 years old, they are a

[1:45:23] great deal to me. This is the peaceful

[1:45:26] place I have chose for the years that I

[1:45:28] have left. Now I'm facing a very

[1:45:31] different reality. The Google data

[1:45:34] center is being built just yards from

[1:45:36] within my home. I understand development

[1:45:38] is coming to our community. I understand

[1:45:41] the progress can bring jobs. But I also

[1:45:44] ask you as a to remember the people who

[1:45:46] already live here.

[1:45:48] I'm not asking for anything

[1:45:50] unreasonable. I'm asking you to consider

[1:45:52] the residents who have to live beside

[1:45:54] this project every single day. I am

[1:45:58] concerned about the construction noise

[1:46:00] beginning early in the morning. I am

[1:46:02] concerned about the construction

[1:46:03] traffic, the heavy equipment, the

[1:46:05] lights, the dust, the constant activity

[1:46:07] that will come with the project this

[1:46:09] size. I don't want to lose the ability

[1:46:12] to sit on my own porch and enjoy the

[1:46:14] quiet life for what years I do have

[1:46:16] left. I don't want the wildlife

[1:46:19] to disappear from the noise and the

[1:46:21] activity. And most importantly, I don't

[1:46:24] want the peaceful home I have chose

[1:46:27] after working my whole life of 60 years

[1:46:30] to become a place where I can no longer

[1:46:32] enjoy the simple things.

[1:46:35] That's what brought me to Buffalo in the

[1:46:37] first place, the simple things. At my

[1:46:40] age,

[1:46:43] I do know that I want the years to be fe

[1:46:46] peaceful. And I am 79 years old. And I

[1:46:50] moved here for this simple life. And the

[1:46:52] simple life is what Buffalo should stay

[1:46:54] to be. Thank you.

[1:46:58] [applause]

[1:47:04] I have one from April Spencer. She

[1:47:07] actually owns two pro pieces of property

[1:47:09] on that road.

[1:47:12] Her home of residence is at 3210 Tim

[1:47:15] Street and her proposed rental property

[1:47:18] is at 290

[1:47:22] 20909

[1:47:24] Charleston Road, Buffalo, which is about

[1:47:26] three houses down from the data center

[1:47:29] property.

[1:47:33] [clears throat] She currently takes care

[1:47:34] of her 90-year-old mother and her

[1:47:36] residence. And when she passes away, she

[1:47:38] would like for her intention to be to

[1:47:40] sell her home. She is also currently

[1:47:43] trying to sell her rental property with

[1:47:45] no ow. That's not anything coming of it.

[1:47:49] Because of that, she would like to know

[1:47:51] how this development could affect the

[1:47:53] future value, the taxes, the

[1:47:55] marketability, and the sale of her

[1:47:57] property. One of her biggest concerns is

[1:48:00] property taxes. If this development

[1:48:02] causes property values in the area to

[1:48:04] increase, I'm concerned that my property

[1:48:07] taxes could also increase. That could

[1:48:10] create an additional financial burden

[1:48:12] for homeowners who may not have the same

[1:48:14] financial resources as some major

[1:48:16] billion-doll company.

[1:48:19] At the same time, I am concerned about

[1:48:21] the possibility that nearby properties

[1:48:23] could actually become less desirable

[1:48:25] because of the development, increased

[1:48:27] traffic, construction, activity, noise,

[1:48:30] and storm water problems.

[1:48:33] As Melanie showed you in several of

[1:48:34] those pictures, that is also the

[1:48:36] backside of my home and the rental home.

[1:48:40] If it happens, property owners could

[1:48:42] find themselves in a situation where

[1:48:44] taxes increase while the inability to

[1:48:47] sell the property or actual market value

[1:48:50] decreases. This is a serious concern for

[1:48:52] her. She's trying to sell her rental

[1:48:54] property now, but since people has heard

[1:48:58] the data center is coming through, she

[1:49:00] hasn't got any interest in it. She's

[1:49:03] also extremely concerned about the water

[1:49:05] off storm water runoff and flooding.

[1:49:08] She would also like to know what happens

[1:49:11] when the ditches and the culverboards

[1:49:12] become backed up.

[1:49:21] She would like for answers. She would

[1:49:23] like to know how this project could

[1:49:25] affect our future property taxes, how it

[1:49:27] could affect the actual market value and

[1:49:29] the ability to sell our homes if we

[1:49:32] decided we do wanted to leave. Whether

[1:49:34] existing drainage ditches and culverts

[1:49:36] are capable of handing handling the

[1:49:38] additional storm water. What protections

[1:49:41] will be in place for existing homeowners

[1:49:43] if flooding or drainage problems occur?

[1:49:47] Who will be responsible if storm water

[1:49:49] from the de development causes damage to

[1:49:52] private property? And what assurances

[1:49:54] existing property owners will have that

[1:49:57] they will not be left financially

[1:49:59] responsible for problems created by this

[1:50:01] large-scale development.

[1:50:04] I have invested in my properties and in

[1:50:07] this community. I should not have to

[1:50:09] choose between protecting my property,

[1:50:12] being able to sell it, and dealing with

[1:50:14] problems caused by development that we

[1:50:16] did not create or ask for.

[1:50:20] She is simply asking the commission to

[1:50:22] look beyond the immediate project site

[1:50:24] and consider the people who live around

[1:50:26] it. And we've waited and we've waited and still no one has

[1:50:31] come and knocked on our doors and asked

[1:50:33] us how we felt or what we wanted.

[1:50:39] And anyway, she would like to thank you

[1:50:40] for listening to her concerns about the

[1:50:42] impact of this project.

[1:50:46] » Thank you.

[1:50:47] >> All right. Thank you. [applause]

[1:50:50] >> I have one more.

[1:50:53] and this is actually for my

[1:50:55] husband Tim Lacy that he didn't want to

[1:50:58] get up and speak.

[1:51:00] Um

[1:51:02] he's lived there for 35 years. His home,

[1:51:06] of course, we know is in a flood plane,

[1:51:07] too, cuz we share homes. The things that

[1:51:10] he is concerned about is the noise and

[1:51:12] the light pollution. He works 12-hour

[1:51:15] shifts. Sometimes he needs to sleep

[1:51:17] during the day.

[1:51:19] With the construction, the cooling

[1:51:21] equipment, the pumps, the generators,

[1:51:23] the traffic, and the lighting, it could

[1:51:26] significantly affect the nearby

[1:51:28] residents, what noise and lighting

[1:51:31] limits will apply, who will monitor

[1:51:33] them, and who will address the

[1:51:35] violations.

[1:51:37] There is also the area supports deer,

[1:51:40] coyotes, minks, birds, hawks, eagles,

[1:51:43] monarch butterflies, bats, and other

[1:51:45] wildlife. Clearing land and changing

[1:51:48] drainage could destroy the habitats.

[1:51:50] What studies have been done, especially

[1:51:52] regarding protected or endangered

[1:51:55] species?

[1:51:56] I appreciate Google's community grants,

[1:51:59] of course, he says, but those

[1:52:01] contributions do not replace the

[1:52:02] responsibility to protect the nearby

[1:52:05] residents who has been living in this

[1:52:06] county, like I said, for 35 years when

[1:52:09] there was only three or four houses in

[1:52:11] that bottom.

[1:52:13] He believes that development must be

[1:52:15] matched by aquatic adequate

[1:52:18] infrastructure and safeguards. Residents

[1:52:21] should also be informed earlier and

[1:52:23] should have been given a meaningful

[1:52:25] opportunity to participate.

[1:52:27] People should not learn about this

[1:52:29] project this large after major decisions

[1:52:31] has already been made. Why weren't

[1:52:34] nearby residents better notified? And

[1:52:36] why is farmland being considered instead

[1:52:39] of not an industrial site?

[1:52:42] residents should have a meaningful

[1:52:43] opportunity, including a vote if

[1:52:45] appropriate, to decide whether this

[1:52:48] facility belongs here.

[1:52:51] Moving forward, he also asked what

[1:52:53] myself and other neighbors ask.

[1:52:56] The storm water and the flooding, the

[1:52:58] impacts, the culverts, the water damage,

[1:53:01] the impacts on the nearby properties and

[1:53:03] waterways, the light control, and the

[1:53:07] protection for the nearby homeowners,

[1:53:09] the responsibility for future problems.

[1:53:13] He would also like to know why farmland

[1:53:15] is not be is being used. Like he said,

[1:53:18] this is a piece of property that is part

[1:53:20] of our history.

[1:53:22] It'd be different if it didn't have

[1:53:24] history to it, but it does. And we

[1:53:27] should not have to choose between

[1:53:28] economic development and safe, peaceful

[1:53:31] homes. Responsible development means

[1:53:34] addressing these concerns before they

[1:53:36] occur. Please listen to the residents

[1:53:39] closest to this project. require

[1:53:41] thorough studies and safeguards, involve

[1:53:43] the community, and address the existing

[1:53:46] dra drainage problem before adding a

[1:53:49] major development or a major

[1:53:50] catastrophe.

[1:53:52] And please don't let longtime residents

[1:53:54] just be an afterthought.

[1:53:57] Thank you.

[1:53:57] >> Thank you. [applause]

[1:54:04] » Just a couple of comments on that one.

[1:54:06] the um you know they do have to go

[1:54:08] through the Army Corps of Engineer and D

[1:54:11] would be involved in construction. Um

[1:54:14] but I would encourage you to go to the

[1:54:16] uh the site that they created um and ask

[1:54:20] any of these questions uh regarding

[1:54:21] their their plans.

[1:54:23] >> Every time I try to use it or they don't

[1:54:25] respond

[1:54:29] [clears throat]

[1:54:29] >> no response

[1:54:32] here in the audience that won't get a

[1:54:34] response.

[1:54:34] >> Okay. permit

[1:54:37] on that site.

[1:54:39] >> No. Yeah, I agree with that. That's held directly through them. No

[1:54:43] response on website. Okay, we'll we'll

[1:54:45] reach out on that [clears throat] one.

[1:54:48] >> Yes, sir.

[1:54:49] >> Hi. Hello. I'm Dr. Kyle McCoslin. I'm

[1:54:52] from Ply. I've been here a few times

[1:54:54] before and I want to talk about a couple

[1:54:56] little things. I appreciate what Miss

[1:54:58] Lacy said because she's right on target.

[1:55:01] All you got to do is look at Mason

[1:55:02] County and see. And it will be much

[1:55:04] worse in Putnham County. There's no

[1:55:06] doubt. I've seen the maps. I've seen

[1:55:08] what they're going to do to those

[1:55:09] hillsides. Um it's going to be a wash

[1:55:12] out. And not just when they build, it'll

[1:55:16] be in the future. She she's right on

[1:55:18] target, by the way. But we're going to

[1:55:20] talk about a couple other things. So, I

[1:55:23] thought about this for a while and I

[1:55:24] thought, you know, I'm going to use AI.

[1:55:26] I'm gonna I'm gonna ask it a question.

[1:55:28] And the first question I asked was what

[1:55:31] biological species destroys its own food

[1:55:35] source? You want to know what the answer

[1:55:37] was? Interesting. Humans are the primary

[1:55:42] biological species that systematically

[1:55:45] and knowingly degrades or destroys their

[1:55:49] own food producing resource. We're the

[1:55:52] only ones. I mean, sure, sometimes you

[1:55:55] have biological species like deer that

[1:55:57] become overpop populated and they

[1:55:59] degrade their environment and then they

[1:56:02] die off.

[1:56:03] But but we systematically do it.

[1:56:07] No other single species does this. We're

[1:56:09] the only ones. I mean, you need to think

[1:56:12] about that. All of you. All of you. All

[1:56:15] of us. Because that's our future.

[1:56:19] So Franklin Delanar Roosevelt said it

[1:56:22] the best. A nation that destroys its

[1:56:25] soils destroys itself.

[1:56:30] [applause]

[1:56:36] Now, let's talk about Putnham County.

[1:56:38] 1950, 21,000 people, give or take a few,

[1:56:42] lived in this county. 2020,

[1:56:46] 57,000,

[1:56:48] give or take.

[1:56:50] Now, let's talk about the total land.

[1:56:53] and harvested acres lost

[1:56:56] in Putham County since 1950.

[1:57:00] Harvested prime farmland.

[1:57:04] Total loss has been 15,000 to 18,000

[1:57:07] acres.

[1:57:09] Right now, 2020, we have less than 5,000

[1:57:14] acres less left in this county. Our

[1:57:17] farmland has not been protected.

[1:57:20] And this particular data center is going

[1:57:23] to destroy hundreds of more acres. We We

[1:57:26] do not have that much to lose. It's the

[1:57:29] most natural resource we have. We've

[1:57:32] been wasteful.

[1:57:34] And I've heard you talk a little bit

[1:57:35] about planning. I've heard nothing about

[1:57:39] agriculture.

[1:57:40] I mean, and I pointed out at the last

[1:57:43] time I was here that in 1998, there was

[1:57:46] an order created by your predecessors,

[1:57:49] three other commissioners who were

[1:57:52] supposed to create a land plan. Nothing

[1:57:55] was done. So now here we are with less

[1:57:57] than 5,000 acres. And now we're talking

[1:58:00] about destroying some of the most prime

[1:58:02] land we have left.

[1:58:04] And here's something other to know about

[1:58:07] that prime land.

[1:58:10] It is recognized by the National

[1:58:12] Department of Agriculture, national, not

[1:58:15] state, not local, as nationally

[1:58:18] important in the USA.

[1:58:21] Now, first of all, there's very little

[1:58:22] in West Virginia that's even considered

[1:58:24] nationally important from an

[1:58:25] agricultural standpoint. We're not Ohio

[1:58:28] and it's all in the Cana Valley or in

[1:58:31] the Eastern Panhandle. We're a little

[1:58:33] bit left in the Ohio River Valley.

[1:58:35] That's it. And Putnham County only has a

[1:58:39] little chunk left of the Cana Valley

[1:58:42] farmland.

[1:58:45] And when you take out what's going to

[1:58:47] happen with this data center and a few

[1:58:49] other parcels like around Frasier's

[1:58:51] bottom

[1:58:53] and what I heard tonight on the

[1:58:55] Courtland Smith property, you're going

[1:58:58] to lose another thousand acres. that's, you know, 20% of what you have

[1:59:02] left. If you don't do something right

[1:59:05] now, you're gonna have nothing. It's

[1:59:08] very important that you think about

[1:59:09] this.

[1:59:12] And let's talk about the high technology

[1:59:15] valuation act quote data center. Now,

[1:59:19] this is this is about why everybody

[1:59:22] wants a data center. You know, they

[1:59:24] think it's all about money because it is

[1:59:25] all about money. Okay, but let's talk

[1:59:27] about it for a minute.

[1:59:30] for property tax purposes, it's going to

[1:59:33] be valued at 5% of the original cost of

[1:59:35] the property.

[1:59:37] It sounds like a lot of money and and it

[1:59:39] is, but it's nothing compared to what

[1:59:42] the rest of us have to pay. I mean, they

[1:59:44] get the deal. We get the shaft.

[1:59:47] And in addition, the sales tax exemption

[1:59:50] for all purchases of pre-written

[1:59:52] computer software, computers, computer

[1:59:55] hardware, servers, building materials,

[1:59:59] and tangible personal property for

[2:00:02] direct use in qualified high technology

[2:00:06] businesses or internet advertising

[2:00:08] businesses. It's exempt.

[2:00:11] Again, bad deal. I mean, even if you are

[2:00:16] totally focused on the money, it is a

[2:00:18] bad deal for us. Good deal for the

[2:00:21] state, I guess. Bad deal for everybody

[2:00:24] in this room

[2:00:25] >> and you all too.

[2:00:26] >> Us included.

[2:00:27] >> Yeah, absolutely. It's a horrible deal.

[2:00:30] And to top it off, 70% goes to the

[2:00:33] state. I mean, come on. Who who who even

[2:00:37] came up with this idea? Wasn't anybody

[2:00:39] in this room, I bet. And it wasn't you

[2:00:42] all.

[2:00:43] But it's your job to defend us. I mean,

[2:00:46] you need to make a better deal. I mean,

[2:00:48] if you're going to put a data center,

[2:00:50] you at least should be getting paid well

[2:00:53] so that at least we can benefit.

[2:01:01] So, let's talk about the pros. The pros

[2:01:04] of a data center. Income, right? That's

[2:01:07] the biggie. You're going to make all

[2:01:09] this money. Yet they can't really tell

[2:01:10] you how much money. They surmise and

[2:01:13] they hypothesize, but nobody really

[2:01:15] tells us exactly, you know, and they

[2:01:19] talk about construction jobs, which are

[2:01:21] great and they're very good for the

[2:01:23] economy, but they're temporary and a lot

[2:01:26] of them are going to be out of sters.

[2:01:28] They're not going to be locals.

[2:01:30] And then they talk about the long-term

[2:01:32] jobs. And this is the part that really

[2:01:34] gets me because if you use AI, which is

[2:01:37] what they all talk about, the average

[2:01:40] number of jobs at a data center long

[2:01:42] term is 18. It's not 300. It's not 400.

[2:01:47] It's 18. And if you read a little

[2:01:50] further, there will be even less because

[2:01:52] what do you think AI is supposed to do?

[2:01:54] It's supposed to reduce the need for

[2:01:56] people because we, you know, we we

[2:02:00] technologically improve. So instead of

[2:02:02] two people, we need one person.

[2:02:05] So the pros are limited, but what are

[2:02:08] the cons?

[2:02:09] Well, you're going to degrade your

[2:02:11] historical value there. And what amazes

[2:02:14] me is that that's probably one of the

[2:02:15] most historical parts you have of

[2:02:17] Lefture County. I didn't know it. I've

[2:02:19] learned a lot. I've become much more

[2:02:22] proud of that area and its and its

[2:02:24] historical value. The agricultural

[2:02:27] destru destruction is is unheard of

[2:02:31] because you don't have enough to work

[2:02:33] with and you're destroying your prime

[2:02:35] agricultural land that you have left.

[2:02:38] The water issues, people have talked

[2:02:41] about this, the amount of water and of

[2:02:43] course it's about water. I mean, look at

[2:02:45] the West. If you read about the aquifers

[2:02:47] that are being drained in Texas and

[2:02:50] Nebraska and Kansas and god forbid, look

[2:02:54] at the Colorado River. I mean, it's a

[2:02:57] trickle when you get to Mexico.

[2:02:59] Why do you think they're coming? They're

[2:03:01] coming for our water. You know, even

[2:03:03] Michigan knows this with the Great

[2:03:04] Lakes. They made a pack with Ohio years

[2:03:06] ago because they see what's coming.

[2:03:08] They're trying to protect themselves. We

[2:03:11] should be doing the same. WE REALLY

[2:03:13] SHOULD.

[2:03:15] >> [applause]

[2:03:19] » AND THEN WE TALK ABOUT electrical

[2:03:20] consumption. It's going to be massive.

[2:03:23] And the problem with that is, is the

[2:03:26] grid capable of handling it? If not,

[2:03:28] what's going to happen to us? We're

[2:03:29] going to be the first people without

[2:03:30] electric. Not all of us have generators.

[2:03:34] And and then what happens, of course, is

[2:03:36] if they can't handle it. They use their

[2:03:37] backup generators. And what does that

[2:03:39] do? Well, that creates more noise and

[2:03:40] more pollution. And by the way, this

[2:03:43] electric that has to be produced

[2:03:44] somewhere is going to create more

[2:03:45] pollution and everybody's going to be

[2:03:48] breathing it and that's going to create

[2:03:50] more health problems. Maybe not here,

[2:03:52] but probably, but it's probably in other

[2:03:54] parts of the county or certainly other

[2:03:56] parts of the state.

[2:03:58] You got to think about these things. And

[2:04:00] then you have the noise disruption and

[2:04:02] the lighting disruption and how that

[2:04:04] affects people and their health and the

[2:04:06] animals and and just everybody's

[2:04:08] well-being.

[2:04:10] And then you talk about the decreased

[2:04:12] local property values. This poor ladies

[2:04:14] will never sell her house. It's not

[2:04:17] going to happen. Who's going to buy it

[2:04:18] when they know this is coming? It's

[2:04:20] already started and it's only going to

[2:04:23] get worse. So that hurts us and in the

[2:04:26] end it may hurt you all too a certain

[2:04:29] degree, but hurts us a lot more. And

[2:04:32] then you talk about the endangered and

[2:04:34] the threatened and the potential species

[2:04:36] that are going to be driven out. Even if

[2:04:38] they're not killed, they're going to be

[2:04:39] driven out. And that is important. It's

[2:04:42] part of our life. It's part of our

[2:04:43] ecology. It adds to our world.

[2:04:47] And the health issues, well, they're really coming. Wait till you see

[2:04:51] the COPD. Wait till you see the asthma.

[2:04:53] Wait till you see the h the cardiac

[2:04:55] problems. It's coming. They haven't

[2:04:58] proven it yet. They haven't done enough

[2:04:59] studies because been around long enough.

[2:05:01] But it is coming. I promise you. It's

[2:05:03] just a matter of time. And it may be you

[2:05:05] all or some of us or even worse it'll be

[2:05:08] your children.

[2:05:11] And then we talk about climate

[2:05:13] disruption. These are heat islands.

[2:05:16] These are going to raise your

[2:05:16] temperature in that area by 5 6 10°. And

[2:05:20] that's going to affect our crops that

[2:05:23] are left, the farmland that's left. The

[2:05:25] animals, they're not going to reproduce

[2:05:27] nearly as well.

[2:05:29] And you have to think about these

[2:05:31] things. These are the cons. And and this

[2:05:32] was the whole point of the resolution,

[2:05:34] which is yes, I know money is important.

[2:05:38] I know growth is important, but it has

[2:05:40] to be it has to benefit all of us and it

[2:05:44] has to be balanced. This is not

[2:05:46] balanced. Not yet. I'm not saying the

[2:05:48] data center can't happen at some point

[2:05:50] in the future. It's being pushed and

[2:05:52] it's being pushed too quickly. And when

[2:05:54] you do anything too quickly, you make

[2:05:55] bad decisions and then you have to live

[2:05:57] with all the consequences. And that's

[2:06:00] why you should always sleep on it for a

[2:06:02] night or two when you make a decision.

[2:06:04] All right. So, I'm going to end this

[2:06:06] here.

[2:06:08] It's a call to what I do not want and

[2:06:10] what I do want. What I don't want is I

[2:06:13] don't need self-driving cars.

[2:06:16] I don't need humanoid robot robots.

[2:06:20] I don't need AI in every app that I use.

[2:06:23] Okay? I don't need it. What I do need is

[2:06:26] clean water, a stable climate, and a

[2:06:30] habitable planet. That's what we need.

[2:06:37] [applause]

[2:06:40] And this is my last statement

[2:06:43] and this is deals with agriculture which

[2:06:45] I think you need to think very seriously

[2:06:48] about. It's no farms, no food, no

[2:06:53] future.

[2:06:55] >> [applause]

[2:07:02] » THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[2:07:05] Anyone else?

[2:07:06] >> I have a question. Has there been an

[2:07:10] impact study done on how these centers

[2:07:13] are going to affect us?

[2:07:15] >> I have no idea.

[2:07:16] >> No.

[2:07:17] >> Shouldn't there have been one before was

[2:07:20] all

[2:07:20] >> I Yes. And I I think all these are great

[2:07:23] statements and I think if you guys take

[2:07:25] this passion to the legislature, may

[2:07:27] maybe we can have an impact. Uh

[2:07:30] >> do you have the authority to address our

[2:07:34] problems?

[2:07:35] >> We don't. We have to go to Charleston to

[2:07:37] do that.

[2:07:37] >> You have to go to Charleston.

[2:07:39] >> We need to get rid of everybody else.

[2:07:42] >> I I'm just saying that you House Bill

[2:07:44] 2014 takes all of our local authority

[2:07:47] away. Whether it be zoning, whether it

[2:07:49] be permitting, we a data center doesn't

[2:07:53] have to do anything with the county

[2:07:55] commission.

[2:07:55] >> How do they have the authority to do

[2:07:58] that?

[2:07:58] >> They they passed a law, House Bill 2014.

[2:08:02] >> But how can they strip local governments

[2:08:06] of their right to govern you guys?

[2:08:08] >> Yes. Because they

[2:08:11] strip your right away.

[2:08:12] >> They wrote the law. They stripped it

[2:08:13] away.

[2:08:15] >> Yeah. All right. Now with the power

[2:08:17] company, Mr. McCall was talking about

[2:08:19] power. I am all electric. The last time

[2:08:23] my power went off, I was on 17 days, not

[2:08:29] hours. If they use all the electric that

[2:08:33] I hear they're going to use, what's that

[2:08:35] going to do to my house? So, so one part

[2:08:38] that what we've been educated on is the

[2:08:41] reason they're located where they are is

[2:08:43] the location to the 756 transmission

[2:08:46] line. That's actually over on the

[2:08:47] Frasier's bottom side. It's about 2 mi

[2:08:49] away. So, they are not hooking into

[2:08:51] actually to the local grid. They are

[2:08:53] hooking into the 756 transmission line

[2:08:56] that goes through that area.

[2:08:57] >> So, it won't I

[2:08:58] >> I'm not saying that. I'm just telling

[2:09:00] you what we've been told. I have no

[2:09:01] idea. I don't work for the power

[2:09:03] company. I don't know how that works.

[2:09:05] >> Is this thing going to be self-contained

[2:09:09] in the water because I went to Colorado

[2:09:12] just recently and it just so happens was

[2:09:14] a lady sitting beside of me from Indiana

[2:09:18] I believe it was and her company builds

[2:09:21] these

[2:09:23] and she said all of them today are

[2:09:26] supposed to be self-contained.

[2:09:28] >> Yeah, closed loop is what they call them

[2:09:30] as and that's the indication that's been

[2:09:32] made is that they intend to be a closed

[2:09:34] loop system. permit for 30 water and

[2:09:38] river

[2:09:42] » if you want information.

[2:09:48] » Okay.

[2:09:49] >> And when I was out of power and I called

[2:09:51] the public service and you people pay

[2:09:54] attention. I told her what my problem

[2:09:56] was and you know what she did? She

[2:09:58] laughed and she said, "Well, that's what

[2:10:00] you get for living out in the country."

[2:10:02] Oh, I forgot her name.

[2:10:05] Yeah,

[2:10:06] >> I get it.

[2:10:07] >> All right, let let's let's give it to

[2:10:09] the microphone. Hi,

[2:10:10] >> my name is Cheryl Manny Penny Thrift. I

[2:10:12] am a resident of Scott Depot. Uh I will

[2:10:16] be as brief as possible. My

[2:10:18] granddaughters are hungry and bored.

[2:10:20] [laughter]

[2:10:22] Um, I I've questioned how we got here

[2:10:26] and and I know we got here to a large

[2:10:29] extent due to House Bill 2014,

[2:10:32] [snorts]

[2:10:33] but what I don't understand is the

[2:10:35] nondisclosure agreement that I

[2:10:37] understand that you all uh have signed.

[2:10:40] Can you explain to me what that is?

[2:10:42] >> So, I I was the only one that signed it.

[2:10:44] >> Okay. Uh, and this was probably about a

[2:10:48] year and a half ago. And because there

[2:10:52] was talk of some development, I didn't

[2:10:54] know it was a data center or anything,

[2:10:56] but I never had any contact with the

[2:10:59] company. So, I signed a non-disclosure

[2:11:02] to start to have talks about what could

[2:11:04] come to the community. And I guess that was probably right about the time

[2:11:08] House Bill 2014 was in legislation. So,

[2:11:10] once that passed, they didn't have to

[2:11:12] have any contact.

[2:11:14] that that helps me understand. Thank

[2:11:15] you. Um do you I I know that your power

[2:11:20] essentially has been taken away. Uh I

[2:11:22] appreciate that you all have sat here

[2:11:24] and listened to the public and all of

[2:11:27] our concerns and I share all the the

[2:11:30] concerns that you've heard here this

[2:11:31] evening. [gasps]

[2:11:33] But what can we do? What can we do to

[2:11:38] have House Bill 2014 revoked, repealed,

[2:11:42] whatever the correct terminology is? Can

[2:11:45] you all file a lawsuit directly? That's

[2:11:48] my direct question.

[2:11:50] >> I mean, anybody can file a lawsuit.

[2:11:52] >> I don't think individuals can. I think

[2:11:53] only

[2:11:54] >> Well, I mean, just just in general, just

[2:11:56] I was just speaking, you know, in

[2:11:58] general, anybody can file a lawsuit

[2:11:59] whether they're right or wrong. We have

[2:12:01] looked at it. We have had contacts with

[2:12:03] Mon County um who is also looking at the

[2:12:06] same issue. Um because regardless of

[2:12:12] what what happened, we have to deal with

[2:12:14] this. It's in our community and and

[2:12:17] again, we know there's pros and cons and

[2:12:19] we know I I've been on record and I'll

[2:12:22] say it again. Not all data centers are

[2:12:24] created equal. I I believe there is a

[2:12:26] difference between um a developer data

[2:12:30] center that is I'm going to build it and

[2:12:32] they're going to come or one like we're

[2:12:35] dealing with Google. Um I will say I

[2:12:38] know I'm talking to a room that wants no

[2:12:40] data center, no way, no how and I get

[2:12:42] that. I fully understand that. But in my

[2:12:44] dealings with Google, I have seen that

[2:12:47] their willingness to try to share

[2:12:49] information and try it seems we did do a

[2:12:54] tour uh for those that weren't here at

[2:12:56] the previous committee. All three

[2:12:57] commissioners went to the new Albany

[2:12:58] site in Columbus, Ohio. Uh we did a

[2:13:01] about a 4-hour tour of the facility. Its

[2:13:04] size is very comparable to the one that

[2:13:06] is being proposed in Buffalo.

[2:13:09] um it's on about 700 acres where what

[2:13:11] they p purchased from a and that that's

[2:13:14] another important point I think we need

[2:13:16] to talk about as well is it's not like

[2:13:19] they bought from one private entity um

[2:13:22] you know I I understand the farmland I

[2:13:24] understand that discussion you know that

[2:13:26] was a private entity decided to make

[2:13:28] that sale of farmland and those those

[2:13:30] families decided to sell to a 60 70

[2:13:33] years ago uh so this has kind of been a

[2:13:36] trickle down effect of why are we where

[2:13:38] we're at now? Your original question.

[2:13:41] Um, but during that tour in New Albany,

[2:13:44] Ohio, um, we did see I think there's uh

[2:13:48] there were six units online. They were

[2:13:50] building a seventh unit. Uh, we had a

[2:13:52] chance to talk to some of the workers uh

[2:13:54] that are there in the the the data

[2:13:56] center that size. You had about 400

[2:13:58] Google employees. You had about 400

[2:14:01] daily contract workers. And then over on

[2:14:04] building seven, the one they were

[2:14:05] building, you had roughly about 800

[2:14:07] trades people that were working in

[2:14:10] construction at that time. Um, looking

[2:14:13] at that site, um, I again it I know it's

[2:14:17] a in in your backyard it's a different

[2:14:19] story and I get that 100%. Um, my

[2:14:22] biggest concern is the construction

[2:14:25] phase. This is a long construction

[2:14:27] phase. the road to get these

[2:14:29] construction materials. That's a huge

[2:14:32] concern because that's coming right

[2:14:33] through town and that's going to be all

[2:14:35] day long. So, that is that is a huge

[2:14:38] concern that I feel like that we need to

[2:14:41] be looking at because as of right now,

[2:14:44] even if House Bill 2014 didn't exist,

[2:14:48] that that was an unzoned area of Putham

[2:14:50] County. So, zoning zoning didn't matter.

[2:14:54] They are uh Google is going through the

[2:14:56] planning office with some of the

[2:14:57] permitting requests that would be

[2:14:59] required uh addressing some of the

[2:15:01] concerns probably not all of them that

[2:15:03] Miss Lacy brought up concerning runoff

[2:15:05] and things like that. Uh but there is uh

[2:15:08] there will be some information shared

[2:15:10] through through the planning office that

[2:15:12] will will be open to the public uh as

[2:15:15] they go through that process. Um then

[2:15:18] army corps engineer once they go through

[2:15:20] their review my understanding that

[2:15:22] probably takes about a year and then u

[2:15:25] during construction phase you have D

[2:15:28] that will be monitoring the construction

[2:15:30] side of things. Um I know I just went on

[2:15:33] a rant there but uh did did I address

[2:15:35] some of your questions?

[2:15:36] >> You you did.

[2:15:36] >> Okay.

[2:15:37] >> Um I guess the rest of what I have to

[2:15:39] say is not only for your information but

[2:15:42] for the rest of the group here. Uh I

[2:15:45] spent probably 30 years of my career

[2:15:49] doing environmental permitting for a uh

[2:15:54] interstate transmission pipeline.

[2:15:56] So I know quite a bit about the Clean

[2:15:59] Water Act, the National Historic

[2:16:01] Preservation Act, the Endangered Species

[2:16:04] Act, etc., etc.

[2:16:06] And I'm very upset with our state

[2:16:09] legislature for taking any local control

[2:16:12] away.

[2:16:13] And I'm upset with the state in general

[2:16:16] for uh taking if we end up with this

[2:16:20] thing and we we don't get the money kind

[2:16:23] of thing. Exactly there. But

[2:16:25] >> we still have the federal government

[2:16:27] that we can try to push on. All these

[2:16:31] permits

[2:16:33] >> are under federal law. The endangered

[2:16:36] species act is the federal endangered

[2:16:38] species act. the clean water act which

[2:16:42] is uh done by the core of engineers is

[2:16:47] the federal clean water act. So, if we

[2:16:50] can't fight this battle, for lack of a

[2:16:54] better way to put it, with our state

[2:16:56] legislature or our local D or whomever,

[2:17:00] we need to start looking at what can we

[2:17:03] do through the federal laws in the

[2:17:05] federal entities. I don't know that it

[2:17:08] will help, but it is another avenue I

[2:17:10] think we can pursue to try to make sure

[2:17:14] if this thing goes in, it goes in as

[2:17:16] environmentally sound as it possibly can

[2:17:19] and preferably not go in at all. Uh, I

[2:17:23] thank you for your time. I I'll leave

[2:17:26] you with one last thing.

[2:17:29] I don't know how I feel about you as

[2:17:31] individual commissioners, but I do

[2:17:34] respect what you put up with. Uh, I was

[2:17:37] born and raised in Hancock County. My

[2:17:40] father was a county commissioner for 18

[2:17:42] years.

[2:17:42] >> Oh, wow. God bless you.

[2:17:44] >> That was before cell phones and

[2:17:46] computers and everything else. And our

[2:17:48] phone never stopped ringing. And of

[2:17:51] course, my mother quit answering it. So,

[2:17:53] being a teenager in the house, I

[2:17:55] answered it. I wanted to talk to my

[2:17:57] boyfriend. I did not want my dad on the

[2:18:00] phone for another hour listening or

[2:18:01] talking to somebody. I know that you

[2:18:04] must feel at times that the weight is on

[2:18:07] your shoulders. The of the weight of the

[2:18:09] world is on your shoulders. Um, and I

[2:18:12] know you listen tonight very patiently

[2:18:13] when you sat there knowing there's not a

[2:18:15] whole lot you can do. But if you can do

[2:18:19] something, including going forward with

[2:18:21] a lawsuit on behalf of your

[2:18:24] constituents, I for one would be very, happy.

[2:18:30] [applause] Thank you.

[2:18:33] >> Go feed those grandkids.

[2:18:37] » Miss Mills Polly.

[2:18:39] >> Thank you, Ellen Mills Polly. I'm from

[2:18:42] Scott Depot, Crooked Creek. Um, and I

[2:18:46] have to say thank you all too for

[2:18:47] putting up with it. I know that it's

[2:18:49] difficult. Uh, and I appreciate you

[2:18:52] paying attention to us. Um, and I'd like

[2:18:56] to I agree with and for the all of all

[2:19:00] of the aforementioned reasons I believe

[2:19:03] this is not right. It's not being done

[2:19:06] right. It isn't going to happen right.

[2:19:08] Isn't you know it just isn't. I am

[2:19:11] opposed to data centers and even if it

[2:19:16] makes no difference to the powers that

[2:19:18] be in Charleston, I urge all of you and

[2:19:21] you collectively as the county

[2:19:23] commission to express your opposition in

[2:19:27] writing to someone, the governor, the

[2:19:31] data zar, whatever it is

[2:19:35] in your opposition to the way this is

[2:19:38] being done and what is being done unless

[2:19:42] you are secretly for data centers and

[2:19:44] you don't want to tell those people you

[2:19:46] don't want to be for them. But I would

[2:19:48] urge you to stand up and say we're

[2:19:51] opposed to the way this is being done.

[2:19:53] House Bill 2014

[2:19:56] is horrible and I feel certain that at

[2:19:59] some point it will be uncovered and

[2:20:02] discovered what a terrible thing that

[2:20:05] was to all of us in West Virginia. Um

[2:20:09] the other thing I'd like to bring up

[2:20:11] quickly and that is um the the uh Valley

[2:20:17] North transmission lines that come out

[2:20:21] of John Amos. It's already a 55 or 60

[2:20:24] year old facility to go through 12

[2:20:28] counties to the eastern panhandle to

[2:20:31] send electric to a data center

[2:20:36] in Virginia. not even for us to use. And

[2:20:40] that facility is already old. That

[2:20:43] facility, it's down the river. Um, it's

[2:20:46] already up the river. It's already old.

[2:20:49] It can't handle being having the

[2:20:51] electric sucked out of it to take it to

[2:20:53] Virginia. So, other county commissions,

[2:20:57] I had the paperwork for two of them, but

[2:21:00] I believe that there are eight or 10

[2:21:02] more out of the 12 counties. Other

[2:21:04] county commissions have expressed in

[2:21:07] writing to the public service commission

[2:21:11] and to the Valley North people that they

[2:21:14] res are opposed to the Valley North

[2:21:17] transmission line going through our

[2:21:19] county and their county. It's going to

[2:21:21] devastate more of North Putton. I

[2:21:25] respectfully respectfully asked you to

[2:21:28] join them in writing some kind of a

[2:21:33] letter in opposition to the Valley

[2:21:35] North. We beat one line and that was

[2:21:39] PATH about 20 or 25 years ago and it is

[2:21:44] possible for us to express stand up for

[2:21:46] ourselves. we're getting screwed with

[2:21:48] the uh data center. We don't need to get

[2:21:52] it twice. So, please consider some type

[2:21:55] of correspondence with the powers that

[2:21:58] be that you're opposed to it if you are

[2:22:00] indeed opposed to it. And I think the

[2:22:03] people in this room would like to see

[2:22:04] you all stand up and do that. Thank you

[2:22:06] so much.

[2:22:10] [applause]

[2:22:16] Good evening, gentlemen.

[2:22:17] >> Good evening.

[2:22:18] >> My name is Alicia Rice and I live on the

[2:22:21] border of Putnham and Mason County.

[2:22:25] Therefore, I'm a member of both Putinham

[2:22:27] United as well as Mason United.

[2:22:31] So, tonight I'd like to zoom out a

[2:22:33] little bit. We've spent time talking

[2:22:36] about data centers as buildings and

[2:22:39] operations and talking about their size

[2:22:41] and their resource use, pollution, jobs,

[2:22:44] and economic opportunity. These are

[2:22:47] important questions, but I think there's

[2:22:49] another question we need to ask. What

[2:22:52] are all these data centers actually for?

[2:22:56] They're part of the physical

[2:22:57] infrastructure supporting an

[2:22:59] increasingly datadriven world where

[2:23:02] enormous amounts of information can be

[2:23:05] collected, stored, processed, and most

[2:23:09] importantly analyzed at a speed and

[2:23:12] scale we've never experienced before.

[2:23:16] And that's where I'd like to connect a

[2:23:18] few dots. Um, I know that Putnham County

[2:23:21] was considering installing flock cameras

[2:23:24] and I'm not exactly sure what the future

[2:23:26] of that might be. Um, these cameras are

[2:23:30] often presented to us as a public safety

[2:23:33] tool and I understand why that sounds

[2:23:35] appealing. As the world gets crazier,

[2:23:38] safety matters, especially as we age and

[2:23:42] may feel a little bit more vulnerable

[2:23:44] than we once did. If someone tells us

[2:23:47] that a camera can help catch the person

[2:23:49] who stole our car or find a missing

[2:23:51] child, most of us are probably going to

[2:23:53] think that sounds like a really good

[2:23:56] thing. And it very very well may be at

[2:23:59] first blush, but I think it's important

[2:24:01] to go deeper and to look under the hood.

[2:24:04] Think about the old security camera at

[2:24:07] the corner store.

[2:24:09] If police wanted that footage, someone

[2:24:11] generally had to go get it. and that

[2:24:14] camera only knew what happened in front

[2:24:17] of that camera.

[2:24:20] Flock completely changes the equation.

[2:24:23] It doesn't merely record an image. It

[2:24:26] captures searchable information about a

[2:24:28] vehicle, including the license plate,

[2:24:31] the car characteristics, the location,

[2:24:34] and the time it was seen. And it puts

[2:24:37] all that information into a network

[2:24:39] system that law enforcement can search

[2:24:41] from their office chair, sometimes

[2:24:44] thousands of miles away.

[2:24:47] The difference isn't simply better

[2:24:48] cameras.

[2:24:50] The difference is that surveillance has

[2:24:52] become instantaneously

[2:24:54] searchable.

[2:24:56] And there are constitutional re reasons

[2:24:59] to pause here in cases like both

[2:25:02] Carpenter and Kylo versus the US. The

[2:25:06] Supreme Court has recognized that

[2:25:08] advancing technology can change the

[2:25:11] Fourth Amendment equation, especially

[2:25:14] when it allows government to track our

[2:25:16] movements or obtain information it

[2:25:18] couldn't previously access without a

[2:25:20] search.

[2:25:21] Neither case involved flock cameras, but

[2:25:24] the principle matters because advancing

[2:25:27] technology doesn't erase our rights to

[2:25:30] protection from unreasonable searches

[2:25:33] and seizures.

[2:25:36] Most of us don't particularly care if

[2:25:38] somebody sees our car drive past Kroger.

[2:25:41] That's one photograph in time.

[2:25:44] But what happens when thousands of those

[2:25:46] photographs can be assembled?

[2:25:49] At some point, we no longer have a

[2:25:51] photograph.

[2:25:53] We have a movie. And increasingly,

[2:25:56] artificial intelligence can help

[2:25:58] assemble the pieces of that movie over

[2:26:00] time to create a story.

[2:26:05] And that's where data centers enter this

[2:26:07] conversation because all of that data

[2:26:10] requires somewhere to live.

[2:26:13] Cameras collect it. Digital networks

[2:26:16] move it. Data centers provide the

[2:26:18] computing infrastructure to store and

[2:26:21] process it. And AI helps make sense of

[2:26:24] it.

[2:26:26] History also teaches us that technology

[2:26:28] rarely stays exactly where it starts.

[2:26:32] The cell phone started as a telephone

[2:26:35] and social media was a way to connect

[2:26:37] with friends.

[2:26:39] both became something much larger over

[2:26:41] time.

[2:26:43] And somehow along the way, we became

[2:26:47] products ourselves.

[2:26:49] Our clicks, purchases, movements,

[2:26:53] relationships, and even biometric

[2:26:56] information like our fingerprints and

[2:26:59] faces have become extraordinarily

[2:27:02] valuable data. In a sense, corporations

[2:27:06] have learned how to digitally mine us.

[2:27:10] There's even a name for part of this

[2:27:12] economic model. It's called surveillance

[2:27:15] capitalism.

[2:27:17] Information about human beings has

[2:27:19] value. And the more that can be gathered

[2:27:22] and connected, the more valuable and

[2:27:24] powerful it becomes.

[2:27:27] We are building capabilities today that

[2:27:31] future generations, corporations, and

[2:27:34] governments will inherit.

[2:27:38] And we don't get to choose who will

[2:27:40] always be sitting behind the controls.

[2:27:43] The question isn't only do we trust the

[2:27:47] people using this technology today.

[2:27:50] The question is, what power are we

[2:27:54] creating for whoever controls it

[2:27:56] tomorrow?

[2:27:58] When the political guard changes, as it

[2:28:01] always does, what seems acceptable under

[2:28:04] one set of leaders may look very

[2:28:06] different under another. Once these

[2:28:09] cameras, databases, and computing

[2:28:11] systems become interconnected,

[2:28:13] they become increasingly difficult to

[2:28:16] unwind.

[2:28:18] That's why these conversations need to

[2:28:20] happen now while citizens still have an

[2:28:23] opportunity to ask questions and weigh

[2:28:25] in on decisions that may shape our lives

[2:28:28] for decades.

[2:28:30] And that's why I keep returning to

[2:28:32] something I've written and talked about

[2:28:33] before.

[2:28:35] Sometimes, maybe even often, progress

[2:28:39] moves faster than wisdom.

[2:28:42] We become so fascinated by what

[2:28:45] technology can do that we forget to ask

[2:28:48] what it should do.

[2:28:51] Just because we can do something does

[2:28:54] not mean that we should.

[2:28:56] ask whether something makes us

[2:28:58] safer

[2:29:00] and then perhaps we should also ask what

[2:29:02] we're giving up in exchange for that

[2:29:05] safety.

[2:29:07] We can ask whether a data center will

[2:29:08] bring economic development.

[2:29:11] But perhaps we should also ask what kind

[2:29:14] of digital future these enormous

[2:29:16] facilities are helping make possible and

[2:29:19] at what cost.

[2:29:22] Is the juice worth the squeeze?

[2:29:26] These aren't questions coming from fear

[2:29:28] of technology. I enjoy technology.

[2:29:32] They're questions about responsibility.

[2:29:36] The question is whether our wisdom,

[2:29:38] privacy, accountability, and consent are

[2:29:42] going to evolve as quickly as technology

[2:29:45] does. And right now, I'm not convinced

[2:29:49] they are.

[2:29:51] So, as Putnham County considers the

[2:29:54] technologies and infrastructure coming

[2:29:56] into our communities, I'm simply asking

[2:29:58] us to connect the dots with foresight.

[2:30:02] Look beyond the individual camera.

[2:30:05] Look beyond the individual data center.

[2:30:09] And for a moment, look beyond the

[2:30:11] promise of safety, convenience, or

[2:30:14] economic development and ask what kind

[2:30:18] of system all these individual pieces

[2:30:21] may eventually create when they're

[2:30:23] connected together.

[2:30:26] Yes, economic opportunity matters, but

[2:30:30] so do freedom, privacy, and quality of

[2:30:34] life

[2:30:36] because we're not simply deciding what

[2:30:38] kind of technology we want in Putham

[2:30:40] County.

[2:30:42] In some way, we're helping decide what

[2:30:45] kind of world we want to live in and

[2:30:48] what kind of world we're living to we're

[2:30:50] willing to leave behind for our children

[2:30:53] and our grandchildren.

[2:30:55] Thank you for your time. J, [applause]

[2:31:04] » you were a school teacher, right, Miss

[2:31:05] Rice? School teacher, librarian.

[2:31:07] >> No.

[2:31:08] You told me that I should be reading

[2:31:10] to

[2:31:10] >> Yes. Yeah. But yeah, I mean,

[2:31:12] >> I'd listen to you talk about anything.

[2:31:14] >> You

[2:31:16] Okay.

[2:31:17] >> Thanks.

[2:31:21] » I'm going to take a different approach.

[2:31:23] My name's Barbie Franc. What was

[2:31:25] >> the last name? I'm sorry.

[2:31:26] >> Franc F R O N K. I live Well, let me

[2:31:31] start from the beginning. I was born and

[2:31:33] raised right here in Putham County at

[2:31:34] one of the most prominent sites where

[2:31:36] the first Putham County bus garage was

[2:31:38] ever built. My grandfather was the first

[2:31:41] head bus mechanic. I come from a

[2:31:44] established Putinham County family.

[2:31:48] I've grown up, moved out, lived away,

[2:31:51] was really, really, really, really happy

[2:31:54] and proud to find a piece of property

[2:31:56] back in Putnham County. July 9th last

[2:32:00] year, my husband and I purchased a flat

[2:32:03] little piece of property, 33 Ida Street,

[2:32:06] right across from Miss Melanie Lacy.

[2:32:09] Was so excited.

[2:32:11] My husband

[2:32:13] is

[2:32:15] has some health issues. He's battled

[2:32:17] cancer twice

[2:32:20] and we're in the process of finding out

[2:32:22] if he has Parkinson. So, this was a

[2:32:24] blessing in disguise to find this flat

[2:32:26] piece of property with an open floor

[2:32:29] plan where I can keep him safe and I can

[2:32:32] have emergency crews come in and get him

[2:32:33] if I have to because he has had to be

[2:32:36] rescued twice in the property we live in

[2:32:39] at Milton and they had a hard time

[2:32:42] getting up and down those 13 steps and

[2:32:44] through our tiny little hallway.

[2:32:48] So, this is huge to us. Right after

[2:32:51] purchasing this property that we're so

[2:32:53] excited about,

[2:32:56] Melanie came out and told us about HB2

[2:33:00] 2014 in the data center.

[2:33:04] And you saw the pictures of the front of

[2:33:05] my property that's already flooding

[2:33:08] every time

[2:33:11] we have any any water. So, my fear is,

[2:33:15] [clears throat]

[2:33:17] are we going to get flooded out as soon

[2:33:18] as we move in? We haven't even been able

[2:33:20] to move in yet. We are in the middle of

[2:33:22] a rehab

[2:33:25] that ought to be completed in the next

[2:33:27] couple of months.

[2:33:29] My question,

[2:33:31] because this is very personal to me, is

[2:33:35] what can we as a community, as a group

[2:33:38] do to get behind you all to help us

[2:33:42] pursue some of these answers?

[2:33:49] » I mean, the legislative session that

[2:33:52] will be coming up will be very

[2:33:54] important.

[2:33:55] um regarding House Bill 2014, whether

[2:33:58] any changes are made to it. Um you know,

[2:34:02] we are evaluating the legal uh aspect of

[2:34:06] things. Um that's that is difficult to

[2:34:10] get that uh proper feedback again

[2:34:13] because we don't want to waste county

[2:34:14] dollars in hiring an attorney and and

[2:34:16] going through that process. U but

[2:34:18] working with some other counties in the

[2:34:20] state that are affected and and looking

[2:34:23] at the same thing. um to determine if it

[2:34:28] is legitimate or if it can be overturned

[2:34:31] in court. Um

[2:34:33] >> thank you

[2:34:34] >> seeking that feedback. Um but I mean you

[2:34:37] know you're showing us now you're coming

[2:34:39] out you're you're you're showing us that

[2:34:42] the issues I I think from your personal

[2:34:45] issue with storm water. Um and I I have

[2:34:48] already relayed the message that the

[2:34:50] website wasn't responding uh properly

[2:34:53] and got a message back that that has

[2:34:55] been realized and and so responses

[2:34:57] should be coming uh in in the next day

[2:35:00] or so. But get on the website, you know,

[2:35:03] make your uh requests of information and

[2:35:06] how it is going to directly impact you

[2:35:08] because it will directly impact you.

[2:35:11] >> Um

[2:35:11] >> because they're going to build that up.

[2:35:13] >> Yes,

[2:35:13] >> we already have water issues. I'm sorry

[2:35:16] this number you used to get all of this

[2:35:19] >> the I I contacted our development

[2:35:21] authority director

[2:35:24] >> um but

[2:35:26] >> but yes that's that's what I would

[2:35:28] suggest is um and then if you aren't

[2:35:32] getting answers then that come back to

[2:35:34] us and and we will try to help you get

[2:35:37] the answers you seek.

[2:35:38] >> Okay. Thank you.

[2:35:40] >> Thank you.

[2:35:44] » [applause]

[2:35:48] » Hello commissioners. Christopher

[2:35:49] Pototts. My mom is a mccosland. Um we've

[2:35:53] been in Ply for six generations now. Uh

[2:35:56] hopefully a seventh. We would love that.

[2:35:59] Um just kind of like an update on AI,

[2:36:01] it's recent discoveries, what's going

[2:36:03] on. I feel like sometimes we get lost

[2:36:05] and we don't really know what we're

[2:36:06] supporting. Um so somebody said like is

[2:36:09] there research on AI? There's not

[2:36:11] research on data centers, but there's

[2:36:13] research on the effects that the data

[2:36:15] centers give out. So, for example, um do

[2:36:18] data centers create light pollution and

[2:36:20] do data centers create noise pollution

[2:36:23] and sound pollution, um air pollution? I

[2:36:27] did a search on air pollution alone and

[2:36:30] like 3,000 studies come up. Um I started

[2:36:33] the study with Marshall um

[2:36:35] overwhelmingly saying that uh air

[2:36:38] pollution causes AIB atrial

[2:36:40] fibrillation. Um it's when one of your

[2:36:43] atria and your heart cannot fully

[2:36:44] contract to expel blood to the body. Um

[2:36:47] just think when you think of aphib just

[2:36:49] think of clots going to the brain. Um

[2:36:51] when you think of clots going to the

[2:36:53] brain we call it a stroke. Um so anyone

[2:36:56] who is exposed to light pollution, noise

[2:36:59] pollution, air pollution is increasing

[2:37:00] the risk for stroke baseline. Um so we

[2:37:03] can't say data centers cause this but we

[2:37:06] know data centers do indirectly. Um so

[2:37:09] by the process of elimination that is

[2:37:11] genuine research that should support the

[2:37:14] impact of a data center. Um that we

[2:37:17] don't have those longitudinal trials yet

[2:37:18] that will come.

[2:37:20] um some general AI advancement things.

[2:37:24] You tal you talked about like the

[2:37:26] difference between Google versus

[2:37:28] developing AI. Um so the thing is I'll

[2:37:32] use an example of a company. Have you

[2:37:34] heard of Claude?

[2:37:35] >> Claude.

[2:37:36] >> So I've heard so there's like three big

[2:37:38] runners in AI right now. It's Chat GBT

[2:37:41] that's open AI collude which is ran by

[2:37:44] someone called Anthropic and then

[2:37:46] there's Google's Gemini. These three

[2:37:49] models are running against each other.

[2:37:51] So Claude's model has only been

[2:37:53] collecting data on us since 2021.

[2:37:56] Um, and on June 11th of this year, they

[2:37:59] released a new version of their AI. It's

[2:38:01] called Fable 5. Within 24 hours, Fable 5

[2:38:05] unearthed uh public records that were

[2:38:08] supposed to be uh confiscated or

[2:38:10] supposed to be um withheld by the

[2:38:13] government, government information,

[2:38:15] national security information. Um, and

[2:38:17] then the government put out a directive

[2:38:19] to suspend the new versions. Um, so I

[2:38:22] talked like a few months ago saying that was imminent and it happened in

[2:38:26] Mexico and now it's happening on US

[2:38:28] soil. Uh, that is with only data

[2:38:31] collected since 2021 on us. I think that

[2:38:35] Google's more dangerous. They've been

[2:38:37] collecting data on us since the

[2:38:38] beginning of the Google era. You've all

[2:38:40] used Google to do your search engine

[2:38:42] strategies for a long time now. Um so

[2:38:45] maybe they have more sanctions but they

[2:38:46] have more data to utilize and I think

[2:38:49] their model will come up stronger. Um by

[2:38:52] the time this thing is completed we'll

[2:38:53] have no idea what it's capable of. So

[2:38:56] let alone the financial impacts the um

[2:39:00] the AI will be so far advanced. What is

[2:39:02] it 8 years it will be built?

[2:39:04] >> Uh yeah I think it's a well I think it's

[2:39:06] a 10 to 12 year build is

[2:39:07] >> 10 to 12 year build. We didn't even know

[2:39:09] what it was capable of in June.

[2:39:10] >> Right. So, and there there was a

[2:39:12] government directive within 24 hours to

[2:39:16] suspend that from public use. So, these

[2:39:18] AI data centers we're not even going to

[2:39:20] be able to use. It's going to be

[2:39:21] governments.

[2:39:22] Um, I asked last time I stood up here

[2:39:26] and talked, what has been done to

[2:39:30] alleviate or to reassure us that other

[2:39:32] data centers are not going to come after

[2:39:33] this one?

[2:39:34] >> None. And that's that's my biggest

[2:39:36] concern is um you know again you only

[2:39:40] have so many sites I think that they can

[2:39:42] locate but we do have other sites that

[2:39:45] they can locate. So um I think that's probably the the biggest concern

[2:39:51] is

[2:39:52] >> um and and I understand your concerns

[2:39:54] with

[2:39:55] >> Google whether it's built in Buffalo or

[2:39:57] whether it's built somewhere else. you

[2:39:59] still have those AI concerns and and

[2:40:01] what AI is going to be, what AI is going

[2:40:03] to do, but uh I'm more uh focused and

[2:40:07] concerned on what other companies would

[2:40:10] try to, you know, cuz we are the

[2:40:12] proximity to the Canal River, the

[2:40:14] proximity to the 756 AP transmission

[2:40:17] line.

[2:40:17] >> Mhm.

[2:40:18] >> That that is enticing for one of these

[2:40:20] developer data centers or or another

[2:40:22] company to come behind it um if it's

[2:40:24] able to acquire the land uh to to do the

[2:40:27] same thing. Um, and with House Bill

[2:40:30] 2014, we'd have no say. So, the the site

[2:40:34] that Google has acquired, again, wasn't

[2:40:36] zoned. There could be other areas that

[2:40:38] are zoned. Um, and we, as a county

[2:40:42] commission, if House Bill 2014 didn't

[2:40:44] exist, we could deny the resoning

[2:40:46] request. Um, but if House Bill 2014

[2:40:49] still in effect, we have no control.

[2:40:52] [clears throat]

[2:40:53] >> So, what can you do to say some place is

[2:40:55] going to get developed? What can you do

[2:40:57] to negotiate for it to be something else

[2:40:59] than a data center?

[2:41:01] >> Nothing.

[2:41:02] >> Yeah.

[2:41:03] >> Okay.

[2:41:03] >> Yeah. I mean, the only the only options

[2:41:05] are House Bill 2014 gets changed or we

[2:41:07] sue the state.

[2:41:08] >> Mhm.

[2:41:09] >> Okay. Have you considered it? I know you

[2:41:11] said yes.

[2:41:12] >> Yes. Yes. We've talked to M County who's

[2:41:14] also considering it. Um it is a

[2:41:17] extremely uphill battle.

[2:41:19] >> Um but not not to say it's not worth

[2:41:22] taking on. Um but it's something that we

[2:41:26] want to evaluate and be sure of before

[2:41:28] we would go through a very long process

[2:41:31] that

[2:41:32] by the time you get results uh there

[2:41:36] might be Google would be built and

[2:41:38] something else may be built but and not

[2:41:40] to discredit that it's not worthy but it

[2:41:43] would be an uphill battle from our

[2:41:44] initial research.

[2:41:46] >> When you visited in New Albany did they

[2:41:49] tell you the jobs that would persist

[2:41:50] after the data center was complete?

[2:41:52] Yeah. So, I mean, there were six units

[2:41:54] up and running. Um, there was only one

[2:41:56] under construction and there were 800

[2:41:58] daily workers there. Um,

[2:42:00] >> 800 programmers or

[2:42:02] >> No, they were doing logistics, uh,

[2:42:04] security. Um,

[2:42:06] >> so 800 people guarding this place.

[2:42:09] >> Uh, I mean, you had a you had a

[2:42:10] lunchroom that was you had 50 people

[2:42:13] working in the lunchroom u for for the

[2:42:16] workers. Mhm.

[2:42:17] >> Um but they you they had 400 Google

[2:42:20] employees on site that were actual

[2:42:22] Google W2 employees

[2:42:23] >> and then you had 400 contracted services

[2:42:26] that were day-to-day workers and then

[2:42:28] you had about 800 uh trades people that

[2:42:31] were working building the seventh unit

[2:42:33] in that area and it was surrounded by it

[2:42:35] wasn't an industrial park and it was

[2:42:37] surrounded by three other data centers.

[2:42:39] I think there was a meta data center and a couple other on this large

[2:42:43] industrial park area. So, was there like

[2:42:46] 400 desks or where are these people

[2:42:47] going to work? Do they just

[2:42:48] >> Yeah, there was a lot of office space.

[2:42:50] Um, a lot of conference room, meeting

[2:42:52] rooms. Um, and then you could tell a lot

[2:42:55] were in logistics that were, you know,

[2:42:57] constantly on the move and and it it was

[2:43:00] about a 700 acre site.

[2:43:02] >> So, a lot of movement.

[2:43:04] >> Okay. So, why why do you feel that

[2:43:06] Google's better than the next one that

[2:43:08] can come? So

[2:43:10] like in Mason County, what we've seen

[2:43:12] from the beginning of that where that's

[2:43:14] a uh um almost like a private equity uh

[2:43:18] type firm that's still raising money.

[2:43:21] >> Uh Google has money, has capital, um has

[2:43:25] shown the ability to to use it. Um

[2:43:29] again, I know that they were going to

[2:43:31] make money at the end of the day. I

[2:43:32] mean, that's their whole goal. They made

[2:43:34] $400 billion last year.

[2:43:35] >> Mhm.

[2:43:36] >> But, you know, they're going through the

[2:43:38] county permitting process and paying

[2:43:40] fees that they don't have to pay to the

[2:43:42] county. Um,

[2:43:44] and it just seems like they have the

[2:43:46] capital and the intent and they're going

[2:43:47] to be the end user. When you see these

[2:43:49] developmental data centers, you see

[2:43:50] somebody come in and again they're going

[2:43:52] to build it hoping someone will come.

[2:43:54] They're not the end user. So, if they

[2:43:56] take shortcuts during construction or, you know, try to try to get by or

[2:44:00] around that. And again, I'm not I'm not

[2:44:04] fully on board saying that, you know, thank goodness Google is

[2:44:08] coming. I'm saying thank goodness for my

[2:44:10] research that if we have a data center

[2:44:13] that it is Google.

[2:44:14] >> Yeah. Thank you for pointing out that

[2:44:17] these other centers are corrupt because

[2:44:20] I promise you Google will be selling our

[2:44:21] data to those places and they they will

[2:44:24] be misusing it.

[2:44:26] >> I don't credit the end use of it. and

[2:44:28] the end use is going to happen whether

[2:44:30] they build in Buffalo or they build

[2:44:32] anywhere else uh because they've got so

[2:44:34] many data centers now that um they're

[2:44:37] it's going to locate somewhere. So I

[2:44:39] don't discredit the inuse and AI and

[2:44:41] where we're going and and the scariness

[2:44:42] of this. I fully grasp that and

[2:44:45] understand that and and um maybe not so

[2:44:50] much for my generation but for for yours

[2:44:52] and I've got children your age uh their

[2:44:54] generation of how AI is going to affect

[2:44:56] their life. I I get that 100%.

[2:44:58] >> Uh but as my job as county commissioner,

[2:45:01] I'm more focused on the development in the county and on site and how that

[2:45:06] affects the community.

[2:45:08] >> Okay.

[2:45:08] >> Yeah. Thank Well, thank you for

[2:45:10] listening. Uh just I I really want to

[2:45:13] encourage you to consider how we can

[2:45:14] protect from future data centers and

[2:45:17] encourage you to think about behind

[2:45:19] these decisions. Just because someone

[2:45:21] will build it elsewhere doesn't mean

[2:45:23] that we should sacrifice our morals to

[2:45:25] build it here.

[2:45:26] I'm a third-year medical student and I

[2:45:28] will use a different example. Um, just

[2:45:31] because someone else will perform

[2:45:34] abortions does not mean as a

[2:45:36] practitioner of medicine I have to.

[2:45:39] >> So take that into consideration with

[2:45:41] your morals wherever you go and whatever

[2:45:44] you apply that to. Thank you so much

[2:45:45] guys.

[2:45:46] >> Thank you.

[2:45:50] [applause]

[2:45:52] » I guess it's me.

[2:45:53] >> Yep.

[2:45:54] My name is Alex Cole. I live on a farm

[2:45:58] that's been in my family for six

[2:45:59] generations up on Dun Levy Ridge, right

[2:46:02] across from the data center proposal.

[2:46:05] Six generations over 200 years.

[2:46:08] Fought tooth and nail like everybody

[2:46:10] else here to make a living in West

[2:46:12] Virginia and keep that legacy alive. I'm

[2:46:15] a little worked up and I hesitated to

[2:46:17] speak because AP came calling today

[2:46:21] looking to steal if we don't sell to

[2:46:24] them four new 200t wide riderways from

[2:46:28] the existing power line that you've

[2:46:30] already mentioned. That power line

[2:46:31] crosses our farm. It was stolen from us

[2:46:33] then. We did not agree to sell it. They

[2:46:36] are looking to branch four off of that

[2:46:38] one from each tower specifically to fund

[2:46:41] the data center and brought up imminent

[2:46:43] domain. And the very first conversation

[2:46:45] we had,

[2:46:47] so

[2:46:48] some of the other land owners between

[2:46:51] the power line and the data center are

[2:46:53] here tonight. Now we get to pit against

[2:46:55] each other. I don't want it. You don't

[2:46:56] want it. I don't want it. It's

[2:46:59] ridiculous that they can just steal this

[2:47:00] land.

[2:47:02] I understand the government has

[2:47:04] different branches and different

[2:47:06] delineations of duty and I'll yell at

[2:47:08] the PSC about that, but I I had to bring

[2:47:11] it up.

[2:47:13] And I understand the county commission,

[2:47:14] your main job, well, one of your main

[2:47:16] jobs is zoning and planning here. And

[2:47:19] I've heard you bring up this potential

[2:47:20] lawsuit against HP 2014 several times. I

[2:47:24] really hope you all do that. I know you

[2:47:26] guys are all Republican. I I hear you

[2:47:28] guys talk about small government. I

[2:47:30] don't know how you can stand there and

[2:47:31] let the state government steal one of

[2:47:33] your primary duties specifically for

[2:47:36] this one thing obviously. But can all

[2:47:39] three of you please come out publicly

[2:47:41] against 2014 and big government stealing

[2:47:45] your rights or your powers and by

[2:47:47] extension our powers. Even if you don't

[2:47:50] do the LAWSUIT

[2:47:55] [applause] and please push that on your

[2:47:57] own party that it's just ridiculous. You

[2:47:59] can't stand up here and say you're small

[2:48:01] government and then allow the state to

[2:48:02] just strip your powers from local

[2:48:04] control. And that's all I really have to

[2:48:06] say. But I'd like to hear your all three

[2:48:08] personal opinions on that if you don't

[2:48:10] mind.

[2:48:11] >> Yes or no about how

[2:48:12] >> would you be willing before your next

[2:48:14] election cycle to come out against HB

[2:48:17] 2014 as individuals, not the county

[2:48:19] commission?

[2:48:19] >> Yeah. Well, I think that uh that can be

[2:48:21] seen in the legislative session and and

[2:48:24] I did go to the floor when House Bill

[2:48:27] 2014 was presented when it was uh before

[2:48:29] the Senate. Um and and I'll I'll be

[2:48:33] honest, at the time it was mostly about

[2:48:34] tax dollars. Um it was I I I didn't know

[2:48:38] anything about data centers at the time.

[2:48:40] Um, and it was mostly about um, you

[2:48:44] know, some local control and and not

[2:48:46] having say, but if we're going to get it, why why should we take a haircut

[2:48:51] on the money? Um, so I I was on the

[2:48:54] floor at the Senate. Um, and I would

[2:48:56] agree that uh, you know, we need to have

[2:49:00] uh, um, those decisions should be made

[2:49:02] locally. IT'S

[2:49:05] [applause]

[2:49:08] I think my broader point was too it

[2:49:10] doesn't just affect the legislators in

[2:49:12] their elections. It affects yours too.

[2:49:14] And I'm sure you already know that. So,

[2:49:17] uh, as you can see from the support

[2:49:18] tonight, I think you'd be better off

[2:49:20] coming out against these in your own

[2:49:22] elections. Thank you. Thank you.

[2:49:25] [applause]

[2:49:31] Anyone else? Ma'am,

[2:49:40] » don't let those signs trip people now.

[2:49:42] >> Well, yeah, we brought our signs. Um,

[2:49:45] thank you all for having me and and

[2:49:47] letting us keep your time. I know you're

[2:49:49] all tired as we are too. My name is

[2:49:51] Janie Miles and I've spoken before. Um I just wanted to bring up the fact that

[2:49:57] um when I was here the last time and you

[2:49:58] all shared with us that you had taken a

[2:50:00] kind of a field trip to Ohio to look at

[2:50:03] the data centers and I want you to know

[2:50:05] that we were appreciative of that effort

[2:50:07] of you all uh and then for you to come

[2:50:09] back and share what you had found out

[2:50:12] because we were so much in the dark um

[2:50:18] since then and that's been a few months

[2:50:21] ago and and when this all first started, I had no idea what a data

[2:50:26] center was. I just thought, well, it

[2:50:27] sounds kind of good. She going to bring

[2:50:30] some jobs and stuff. And now, now that

[2:50:32] I've learned more and with all due

[2:50:35] respect, what you brought back to give

[2:50:38] us and was in hopes of massaging our

[2:50:41] fears.

[2:50:43] It didn't help. I mean, we're watching

[2:50:47] the national news [clears throat] and

[2:50:50] back in March and April, you didn't see

[2:50:52] it on TV. You didn't hear about it. I

[2:50:55] didn't I didn't until it started coming

[2:50:57] to Buffalo. And then little by little,

[2:50:59] we're hearing more. And I'm sure you all

[2:51:02] see on TV every day now that states all

[2:51:05] across this nation are facing the same

[2:51:09] evil monstrosity that we're facing. And

[2:51:11] I I feel like it's evil. It's affecting

[2:51:14] our lives and our homes. Not that it's

[2:51:16] that you all. It's not your fault. We

[2:51:19] realize that. But what we do hope with

[2:51:23] the resolution that was presented to you

[2:51:24] all tonight.

[2:51:26] There are things that can be done.

[2:51:29] People in other states are fighting and

[2:51:32] they're winning. They're stopping these

[2:51:34] things. They are putting bans on them,

[2:51:36] moratoriums, just pausing long enough

[2:51:39] for us to learn more about it to find

[2:51:42] out what is the actual impacts

[2:51:45] healthwise, environmentally, the whole

[2:51:48] nine yards, jobs. Um, I'd love to have

[2:51:51] my little grandson that was here. I'd

[2:51:52] love to have him stay here and have a

[2:51:54] good, productive life, but with with

[2:51:57] these kinds, I just don't see it

[2:51:58] happening. So with that being said, all

[2:52:02] I would like to say is on behalf of

[2:52:04] Putnham United and the citizens that

[2:52:06] have showed up here tonight, please, take a look at that resolution

[2:52:11] and dig real hard in your hearts to see

[2:52:13] that you can support us with that. It

[2:52:16] can happen, but we need you all.

[2:52:19] [applause]

[2:52:34] My name is Ashley Armstrong. I'm from

[2:52:36] Eleanor, West Virginia. My question is

[2:52:39] concerning these unknown health risks. I

[2:52:42] have learned personally that our health

[2:52:44] system is not in good support. I started

[2:52:48] here with a neurologist. She wasn't very

[2:52:50] good. I went to Cleveland, saw three

[2:52:53] doctors there, moved to Wheeling, saw a

[2:52:55] doctor there, came back home, finally

[2:52:58] found a doctor that addressed my

[2:53:00] concerns, which I got diagnosed with my

[2:53:04] gravis. So essentially, my muscles can

[2:53:08] just stop and so I can stop breathing.

[2:53:11] And with the pollution that's going to

[2:53:13] come out of these data centers, that can

[2:53:15] kill me. And I'm concerned about that.

[2:53:19] And the other point is the whole reason

[2:53:21] I found the neurologist I have is

[2:53:24] because my dad has multiple myoma. He

[2:53:26] cannot walk now. He had a tumor on his

[2:53:29] spine. And it also proves to me that

[2:53:33] there was another woman down in

[2:53:34] Huntington diagnosed with the same

[2:53:36] cancer. It is a pretty rare cancer to

[2:53:39] get. And if you look at all the kids

[2:53:41] that have died here, it's been bone

[2:53:43] cancers, it's been blood cancers, and

[2:53:45] it's been brain cancers.

[2:53:48] What other cancers are we going to bring

[2:53:50] in with these data centers? So, you as a

[2:53:54] commission, how would you bring forth

[2:53:57] medical experts that are going to

[2:54:00] understand these difficulties and what

[2:54:03] this society needs?

[2:54:05] >> Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't have an

[2:54:07] answer for you. Um, and I've got just as

[2:54:10] much fear as you do um regarding that.

[2:54:14] Okay.

[2:54:15] >> Thank you.

[2:54:15] THANK YOU.

[2:54:17] >> [applause]

[2:54:23] » I'M BECKY SCHULER FROM BLIMEY, West

[2:54:25] Virginia, and I've been a wife, mother,

[2:54:29] grandmother, librarian, and Sunday

[2:54:32] school teacher for 42 years. My passion

[2:54:35] is children. I fought Aptus incinerator

[2:54:38] plant in Mason County, Parsons and

[2:54:42] Whitmore,

[2:54:43] oat milk plant that wanted to come where

[2:54:45] new core is same spot because that was

[2:54:49] not going to benefit West Virginia or

[2:54:52] our children. And that is why I'm

[2:54:54] against the data center. But everybody's

[2:54:57] already said everything that I was going

[2:54:59] to say today except I brought props

[2:55:03] being a teacher and a sign

[2:55:08] house bill 2014.

[2:55:13] [applause]

[2:55:19] It's unconstitutional.

[2:55:21] And you heard them. Our only recourse is

[2:55:24] to go to the legislature. So everyone

[2:55:26] here be there because this needs to be

[2:55:30] stripped. It needs to be done away with

[2:55:33] because the reason I was able to help

[2:55:37] with against the actus and we went to

[2:55:39] Coffeeville, Kansas to view their

[2:55:42] incinerator plant which we did not need

[2:55:44] here. But anyway, um the reason we were

[2:55:48] able to stop those two from coming to

[2:55:51] our area was because they didn't have

[2:55:54] 2014.

[2:55:55] We had a say and they listened to us.

[2:56:00] And with this data center, we don't have

[2:56:03] a say. And they don't have a say. Nobody

[2:56:06] has a I tell you what, 250 years ago,

[2:56:09] they had a Tea Party to stop THIS VERY

[2:56:14] THING.

[2:56:17] AND WE HAVE STEPPED back 270 years into

[2:56:22] our time um with a a insidious House

[2:56:28] Bill 2014. We lost rights and our

[2:56:32] forefathers are ashamed of us.

[2:56:39] » [applause]

[2:56:42] » God bless our teachers and librarians.

[2:56:44] They got the props.

[2:56:46] >> Yes.

[2:56:46] >> Anyone else like to make comment?

[2:56:54] » Thank you, commissioners and staff for

[2:56:56] your patience tonight. U just going to

[2:56:59] hit the refresh uh button here for just

[2:57:01] a moment. uh several months ago uh after

[2:57:05] the uh

[2:57:08] capital dropped the uh DC bomb on us in

[2:57:12] March, Mike and I were here on a uh

[2:57:16] Tuesday morning at one of these uh

[2:57:20] stating our case, letting you know how

[2:57:22] we felt about things. And Mike at

[2:57:24] [clears throat] that time had uh offered

[2:57:27] uh legal services to um challenge

[2:57:32] uh HB 2014 because it's simply

[2:57:35] unconstitutional.

[2:57:37] We are the people. We have a right to

[2:57:39] run our lives. And that's been taken

[2:57:41] away from us. It's been taken away from

[2:57:42] you and it's been taken away from all of

[2:57:44] us. And uh and we felt like as county

[2:57:48] commissioners, y'all had rolled over

[2:57:49] like the Titanic. And uh so Mike uh made

[2:57:55] that proposal at that time and

[2:57:58] uh Mr. Ellis there said, "Well, we you

[2:58:01] know, we're not uh thinking about that.

[2:58:03] We're not going down those terms. We

[2:58:05] have tens of thousands of citizens to uh

[2:58:08] consider in these things." And uh and

[2:58:10] that was easy to say when it was just

[2:58:12] two or three of us here that morning uh making the case. This evening, you

[2:58:17] have a room full of citizens that don't

[2:58:22] want these things. These data centers

[2:58:25] are parasites. They're going to take our

[2:58:28] land. They're going to take our water.

[2:58:30] They're going to take our power and give

[2:58:32] us almost nothing in return as a people.

[2:58:35] Yeah. Uh

[2:58:37] Charleston's going to get money and

[2:58:38] they'll be able to spread it out, but

[2:58:40] very few dollars are ever going to help

[2:58:42] anybody in this room. And so it's a

[2:58:46] parasite and we don't need it. We don't

[2:58:48] want it. We didn't elect it. We didn't

[2:58:50] vote for it. We didn't have a say in it.

[2:58:52] And uh and I am very happy to to uh hear

[2:58:55] tonight uh that you are considering that

[2:58:59] because [clears throat] several months

[2:59:00] ago that wasn't even an option. And now

[2:59:02] you are thinking about that.

[2:59:04] Janie said that uh other communities

[2:59:09] have won battles. those communities won

[2:59:12] battles because they had control.

[2:59:16] Um I know Mr. Seisborn, you have said uh

[2:59:19] time and again that 2014 has taken away

[2:59:22] your right to do anything to have any

[2:59:24] say in this. Um fight it. It's

[2:59:28] unconstitutional. It's not legal. Stand

[2:59:30] up to Charleston. UM

[2:59:34] [applause]

[2:59:37] at the same time at the same time we

[2:59:40] need to remember that uh we are a

[2:59:45] community. We live here and we don't

[2:59:48] want we don't want that noise. We don't

[2:59:50] want uh that pollution. We don't want

[2:59:54] that [clears throat] closed loop system.

[2:59:55] No loop loop system is ever entirely

[2:59:58] closed. uh it's going some of that's

[3:00:00] going to go back into our water system.

[3:00:02] We need if if we can't stop this

[3:00:05] particular data center, we need

[3:00:08] guarantees. We need guarantees on the

[3:00:11] water that's going to be put back into

[3:00:12] the system. We need guarantees on how

[3:00:14] much light they're going to produce, how

[3:00:16] much noise those generators are going to

[3:00:18] produce, how much pollution those

[3:00:20] generators are going to uh produce. We

[3:00:22] need guarantees. You talk to Chris

[3:00:24] Morris, you talk, you look, you look at

[3:00:26] their websites and all that stuff. It's

[3:00:28] all general, you know, garbage. It

[3:00:30] doesn't say anything. You know, it

[3:00:32] tickles your ears, but doesn't give any

[3:00:34] factual backup. We need you guys as our

[3:00:37] [clears throat] elected representatives,

[3:00:39] as the people that are fighting for us,

[3:00:41] the people,

[3:00:43] to at least be looking at how you're

[3:00:45] going to to help us if this thing comes

[3:00:48] in. How are we going to be able to sleep

[3:00:50] at night? How are we going to be able to

[3:00:51] breathe? How are we gonna be able to

[3:00:53] drink our water thinking that we're not

[3:00:54] getting cancer? You guys got to do that

[3:00:57] for us. These things are ugly. You know,

[3:00:59] it's a parasite and [clears throat] then

[3:01:01] 15 years from now when this technology

[3:01:03] is obsolete, who's going to clean it up?

[3:01:06] We're going to clean it up like every

[3:01:08] other mess that's left after people come

[3:01:10] in and and rape and pillage our great

[3:01:12] state.

[3:01:14] It's not it's not being done right. So,

[3:01:16] thank you very much.

[3:01:19] [applause]

[3:01:20] Anyone else like to make comment?

[3:01:22] Charlie,

[3:01:30] » commissioners, everybody that's here, I

[3:01:32] won't take very long because I know

[3:01:33] everybody's tired, but I just wanted to

[3:01:36] say number one, um, Route 35 was

[3:01:39] designed for a quick exchange from Taz

[3:01:42] Valley to Ohio.

[3:01:44] And um

[3:01:48] I just you know like I say I've lived in

[3:01:50] Fraser's Bottom all my life. I thought

[3:01:53] the warehouse was bad that's coming

[3:01:56] evidently.

[3:01:58] Um but when I heard

[3:02:01] what's going on with the data center,

[3:02:05] I could not believe it. This is a

[3:02:07] monster.

[3:02:09] 128 cooling towers,

[3:02:13] 184 acres of field dirt. They're going

[3:02:15] to put in

[3:02:18] this, like I say, and we are not

[3:02:21] prepared.

[3:02:23] The infrastructure is not prepared for

[3:02:26] this. And this is another thing I found

[3:02:29] out. Mason County, 2,300 acres

[3:02:34] of data center,

[3:02:37] 1,700 acres in Putnham County. And if I

[3:02:41] did my calculations right, we're less

[3:02:44] than 30 miles from them.

[3:02:47] Um, something's wrong.

[3:02:50] You know, nobody's even mentioned the

[3:02:52] bees, the honeybees.

[3:02:54] they cannot

[3:02:56] work if they cannot communicate with the

[3:02:59] other bees.

[3:03:02] Um,

[3:03:06] and quantum technology

[3:03:10] has supposedly already been uh being

[3:03:14] done with the cloud.

[3:03:17] I just worry about what what is going to

[3:03:19] do to

[3:03:22] our county.

[3:03:25] It is going to affect all of us. And

[3:03:28] like I say that and we found out that

[3:03:31] they call it a campus.

[3:03:34] And you're thinking, "Oh gosh, that's a

[3:03:36] campus.

[3:03:38] It's got eight data different data

[3:03:41] centers in it. Four miles by four miles. four by four miles. It's

[3:03:48] a monster. And who's going to clean it

[3:03:51] up when it's finished? The coal, it's

[3:03:55] like the coal companies all over. But

[3:03:58] now, and they picked West Virginia

[3:04:00] because we're poor

[3:04:02] and uh they know that we have bottom

[3:04:06] land.

[3:04:08] And I just feel like if you could do a

[3:04:11] mortorium or whatever it's called

[3:04:14] because technology

[3:04:17] is moving at a pace that we need to

[3:04:21] catch up some. Um and I just like I say

[3:04:25] I'm I'm glad everybody's here tonight.

[3:04:28] Everybody's tired, but if we don't push

[3:04:30] back,

[3:04:32] we don't know what's coming. This is our

[3:04:34] future. And I just can't understand

[3:04:37] 4,000 acres within less than 30 miles

[3:04:43] from each other.

[3:04:45] Please be involved and we've got to do

[3:04:48] something. If anybody voted for that

[3:04:49] House Bill 214, don't put him back in

[3:04:52] office. Thank you. [applause]

[3:04:56] One more thing.

[3:04:59] Call the governor. 3045582000.

[3:05:05] Call every day. Have your neighbor call.

[3:05:08] We've got to do something and push back.

[3:05:12] Thank you.

[3:05:12] >> Thank you. [applause]

[3:05:19] » Anyone else?

[3:05:21] >> Hey, I have just one second. Um, I just

[3:05:24] wanted to say in September, minutes in

[3:05:27] um before an Indianapolis city council

[3:05:30] was slated to reszone a proposal that

[3:05:33] allowed Google to build a huge data

[3:05:35] center on a 468 acre track of land. They

[3:05:39] withdrew from the project because there

[3:05:42] was enough opposition from the

[3:05:44] community. So, it has been done. Um in

[3:05:48] 2015

[3:05:50] in ciao uh Google has had and operated a

[3:05:56] Google center there.

[3:05:58] Um give me just one second.

[3:06:02] In 2022 it was reported that the roughly

[3:06:06] annual consumption was 8500.

[3:06:09] it it had enough water consumption

[3:06:13] to for 8,500 households every day that study showed. There's also another

[3:06:21] study that showed just in as of in May

[3:06:24] 2026

[3:06:26] 97,000 job cuts were due to AI. That's

[3:06:31] almost a 100,000 jobs just in one year

[3:06:34] that we have lost that AI has replaced.

[3:06:37] like it's not helping our economy. Yeah,

[3:06:40] it might boost us up for a little bit.

[3:06:42] It might put our coal miners back to

[3:06:44] work for a few years until our

[3:06:46] databilated mines fall down and kill one

[3:06:49] of them because they John Amos needs to push out more coal for more

[3:06:53] electricity. Um or we lose

[3:06:57] stenographers, we lose um assistants, we

[3:07:02] lose telephone operators. Shoot, we've

[3:07:04] lost the lady. Is AI now even at the

[3:07:06] Taco Bell? 97,000 jobs. That's not

[3:07:10] helping our country or our economy.

[3:07:14] [applause]

[3:07:20] Um this was also done by United Nations

[3:07:24] study. So this is done on the world

[3:07:26] globally globally. But furthermore, AI

[3:07:30] infrastructure could generate up to 2.5

[3:07:35] million tons of electric waste each year

[3:07:38] by 2030. Much of it processed in

[3:07:42] lowincome economies with limited

[3:07:45] safeguards with critical minerals

[3:07:47] extracted in jurisdictions with weak

[3:07:50] environmental oversight. I think that's

[3:07:52] what West Virginia is cuz that's the way

[3:07:54] we've always been treated.

[3:07:57] [snorts]

[3:07:58] Um,

[3:08:01] let's see.

[3:08:04] I got one more here. And then in

[3:08:09] California, Pittsburgh, California, the

[3:08:11] Center of Biological Diversity sued the

[3:08:14] city of Pittsburgh, California.

[3:08:16] Um, this was written back in November.

[3:08:20] It says for approving development

[3:08:22] including a massive data center without

[3:08:24] considering or planning for the

[3:08:26] environmental effects including the

[3:08:28] greenhouse gas emissions, water usage

[3:08:31] and harms to wildlife and surrounding

[3:08:33] wetlands. The project that was set there

[3:08:37] was set on wetlands that would habitate

[3:08:39] near nearby streams and other um

[3:08:42] waterways.

[3:08:43] The area served as an important wildlife

[3:08:46] corridor to the region is home of the

[3:08:48] well red tail hawks which we have here

[3:08:51] and we also have other raptors. Data

[3:08:54] centers pretend to be unassuming but in

[3:08:57] fact they pose huge risk to the air

[3:09:00] quality and water supply of the

[3:09:02] communities [snorts] said Meredith

[3:09:04] Stevenson's a staff attorney at the

[3:09:06] center. We would let a large industrial

[3:09:09] plant We wouldn't let a large industrial

[3:09:12] plant move into town without first

[3:09:14] analyzing how it'll affect the

[3:09:17] neighboring wild wildlife and residents.

[3:09:20] This is no different here in West

[3:09:21] Virginia. In Pittsburgh, California,

[3:09:24] leaders, they were told to go back to

[3:09:27] the drawing board and give this project

[3:09:29] the thorough review that the community

[3:09:31] deserves. We're asking for the same

[3:09:33] thing. Data centers will accommodate

[3:09:36] artificial intelligence servers and

[3:09:38] other computer systems and are extremely

[3:09:40] energy intrusive and require enormous

[3:09:43] amounts of land and water which we all

[3:09:45] know. And as the industry grows,

[3:09:48] communities are rapidly realizing how

[3:09:50] environmentally destructive these

[3:09:52] centers can be. [snorts]

[3:09:54] All data centers currently operating

[3:09:56] across the country together require

[3:09:58] about the same amount of electricity as

[3:10:00] the state of New Jersey. They also use

[3:10:03] the massive amounts of water for

[3:10:04] cooling. A midsize data center uses an

[3:10:07] average of 300,000 gallons a day. We're

[3:10:11] looking at a hyperscale data hypers

[3:10:13] scale data center. By 2030, the global

[3:10:16] data center industry will produce about

[3:10:19] 40%

[3:10:21] of what the entire United States emits.

[3:10:26] 40% in four years of the total

[3:10:30] greenhouse gas emissions.

[3:10:33] That's sure that's what West Virginia

[3:10:35] needs. I mean, if the wind blows right,

[3:10:37] hopefully it'll blow to Red House or

[3:10:39] Hurricane and maybe in y'all's backyard

[3:10:41] instead of mine. Thank you.

[3:10:43] >> Thank you.

[3:10:46] [applause]

[3:10:52] » Keep it brief, Eddie. [laughter]

[3:10:54] Oh, hey. Come on.

[3:10:57] >> I just got a few questions. Alex asked

[3:10:59] y'all a question. You answered it, but

[3:11:01] Brian, you didn't. Are you for House

[3:11:03] Bill 2014 still or are you against it?

[3:11:06] Now,

[3:11:06] >> this is not a question and answer

[3:11:09] session.

[3:11:10] >> Well, it is. I mean, Andy said he's

[3:11:12] against it. So, it is an answer injury

[3:11:16] for guessing. That tells me all I need

[3:11:18] to know. Okay.

[3:11:19] >> The other question I got is a rumor of

[3:11:23] another data center coming to Pman

[3:11:25] County. 2,000 acres.

[3:11:29] Y'all just reszone Courtland Smith's

[3:11:31] place.

[3:11:33] And what I understand, Courtland is part

[3:11:35] of the Bowler Woods. He's in that

[3:11:40] people that owns

[3:11:41] >> They've got over 2,000 acres on the

[3:11:42] road.

[3:11:43] >> Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[3:11:44] >> Yeah.

[3:11:44] >> So, is it coming there? the I I don't

[3:11:49] know. I I've I've heard the same thing

[3:11:50] over the last week that the Berwoods or

[3:11:53] Part D or whatever you call it, right?

[3:11:55] Um does have the acreage that would be

[3:11:59] uh attractive to a data center. And I

[3:12:01] kind of alluded to that tonight that

[3:12:03] that's my concern is more than one. Um

[3:12:08] even if uh

[3:12:11] and I've I've went ahead and looked at

[3:12:12] the part D land and it is not zoned you

[3:12:15] know it it has residential zoning in it

[3:12:17] but again with house bill 2014 that

[3:12:19] doesn't matter

[3:12:20] >> right I understand that understand

[3:12:22] >> so again I I don't have anything

[3:12:24] definite but I have heard a rumor over

[3:12:25] the last week that say you need to look

[3:12:27] into this and I at least looked into see

[3:12:29] the zoning of it uh currently as it

[3:12:31] stands and it's mixed but mostly

[3:12:34] residential uh the party land

[3:12:36] >> and talking about real estate. Um, I was

[3:12:39] told today from a realtor,

[3:12:42] I don't know this property in Buffalo.

[3:12:44] Doug, you might know it. The Reigns,

[3:12:46] Rudy Rains Farm. You know where it's at?

[3:12:49] It's

[3:12:49] >> up on the hill.

[3:12:50] >> It's up on the hill.

[3:12:51] >> Yeah.

[3:12:51] >> I heard it was sold, but once the people

[3:12:55] was told that the data center was

[3:12:58] coming, they biked off of it cuz they

[3:13:00] got young kids. It come from the realtor

[3:13:03] that hadn't sold it.

[3:13:05] It's up on Cross Creek Hill.

[3:13:07] >> Is that where it's at?

[3:13:08] >> But I didn't know where it was, but

[3:13:10] that's what I was told about 3 hours ago

[3:13:12] from a realtor

[3:13:14] that I was talking to.

[3:13:16] So, it is going to affect everybody down

[3:13:20] through there. And I am one of the farms

[3:13:24] and so is my neighbor that they're

[3:13:27] looking to pass with A.

[3:13:30] And we are said no. But we know under

[3:13:33] domain they can take it.

[3:13:38] So

[3:13:38] >> y

[3:13:40] >> with that being said, I know a lot of

[3:13:43] you live this way

[3:13:46] and are for this, but you better think

[3:13:48] if they put that one at B your woods,

[3:13:52] the pollution's coming right in your

[3:13:53] back door. This the same as it is coming

[3:13:55] in ours. That's all I got to say. Thank

[3:13:59] you, Annie. [applause] ANYONE

[3:14:06] ELSE?

[3:14:09] >> All right. Yes. Got one more.

[3:14:22] » Good evening, commissioners. I was back

[3:14:25] there taking notes the whole time and

[3:14:26] I'm going to try to stick to that

[3:14:28] because y'all know I can drone on for

[3:14:30] longer when everybody's trying to get

[3:14:32] out of here. So

[3:14:33] >> mind just name address for the event?

[3:14:35] >> Yes. Uh so my name is Heather Ransom. I

[3:14:37] am a Putnham County voter. I own

[3:14:39] property in Ply um about a mile from the

[3:14:41] proposed site next door to Alex. So I'll

[3:14:45] be the neighbor that's over there

[3:14:46] enjoying those transmission lines um

[3:14:48] once those go up. Um, but first of all,

[3:14:52] I I do want to thank you all for the

[3:14:53] time today. Obviously, you've you've

[3:14:55] listened to us for a very long time and

[3:14:57] we appreciate it. Um, but also since we

[3:15:00] first started sharing these concerns

[3:15:01] back in April, um, you guys have been

[3:15:03] very generous with your time um, every

[3:15:05] time since. So, we appreciate that. Um,

[3:15:08] and so back then, your position was that

[3:15:11] you needed more information. I

[3:15:13] appreciate you doing some of your own

[3:15:15] investigation. Um, one thing I want to

[3:15:17] say about what you brought back from

[3:15:18] that site visit is in reference to the

[3:15:20] comment that not all companies are

[3:15:22] created equal and Google is one of the

[3:15:24] good ones. So, let's take that at face

[3:15:26] value. Many of the people in this room

[3:15:28] fundamentally disagree, myself included,

[3:15:31] but let's let's take that at face value.

[3:15:33] You've also recognized that these data

[3:15:35] centers come in droves, right? It's not

[3:15:37] just one. It's never just one. So

[3:15:40] everything we do here right now is going

[3:15:42] to set the precedent for what's to come

[3:15:45] and we cannot leave these companies to

[3:15:48] their own devices.

[3:15:51] So the other thing about that is saying

[3:15:53] that they're one of the good ones. It

[3:15:55] it's kind of like saying, "Hey, sorry we

[3:15:58] dropped a bomb on you, but at least you

[3:16:00] only lost an arm. You should be grateful

[3:16:02] that you're not Mason County. Hell, they

[3:16:04] lost both legs." That's sort of what

[3:16:06] this feels like.

[3:16:08] Um,

[3:16:09] so I I won't I won't harp on that. I

[3:16:11] also just want to thank everybody in

[3:16:13] this room, even if you had to leave.

[3:16:15] There was, you know, as we know a lot of

[3:16:16] folks here earlier, we've been here for

[3:16:18] a minute. Um, or people that sent their

[3:16:20] remarks with someone else cuz they

[3:16:21] couldn't be here. Um, but especially

[3:16:23] those who are still sitting here after

[3:16:25] all this time. For months, you all have

[3:16:27] shown up consistently

[3:16:30] um to provide that information that they

[3:16:32] asked for. You have researched, you've

[3:16:36] provided news, deeply personal stories,

[3:16:39] and you've plainly illustrated why the

[3:16:41] people who live closest to this thing

[3:16:44] should have a say in its development and

[3:16:46] why we have a responsibility to consider

[3:16:48] all of the implications, not just the

[3:16:50] tax dollars.

[3:16:52] [applause]

[3:16:58] What's amazing to me is that after 5

[3:17:00] months, state officials in Google are

[3:17:03] still keeping us in the dark about the

[3:17:04] scope of this project, despite the

[3:17:06] national environment, which is both

[3:17:08] telling and terrifying.

[3:17:11] Um, as we heard earlier, there is a

[3:17:13] nationwide movement to reveal the truth

[3:17:15] about data centers. Local and state

[3:17:17] governments across the country are

[3:17:18] stepping up. Um, and it's working, but

[3:17:21] we learn something new about them every

[3:17:22] single day. And the only thing we really

[3:17:24] know for sure is that each new piece of

[3:17:26] information is more damning than the

[3:17:28] last.

[3:17:30] So, I want to just take a minute to tie

[3:17:32] some of this back to West Virginia

[3:17:34] specifically. And

[3:17:37] don't I'm going to go a little bit on a

[3:17:39] tangent through the lens of Appalachin

[3:17:40] bias, which is literally just a fancy

[3:17:43] term for a very simple concept that

[3:17:44] everyone here has experienced. It's the

[3:17:47] Appalachin stereotype, the perception

[3:17:49] that we're poor, backward, uneducated

[3:17:51] hillbillies. Um, and that justifies our

[3:17:55] exploitation in the minds of

[3:17:57] billionaires and others who ain't from

[3:17:58] here.

[3:18:01] West Virginia has experienced this

[3:18:03] probably even more than our other

[3:18:04] Appalachin neighbors in part because our

[3:18:08] leaders have inflamed the problem. At

[3:18:11] times, they act as facilitators and

[3:18:13] participants in the exploitation.

[3:18:15] HV 2014 is the latest chapter in that

[3:18:18] story. Our state officials have

[3:18:21] literally invited outofstate

[3:18:23] billionaires to come take advantage of

[3:18:25] us poor dumb West Virginiaians.

[3:18:30] [applause]

[3:18:35] So the other thing to understand is that

[3:18:37] we have what everyone else wants, right?

[3:18:40] We've talked about that a bunch tonight.

[3:18:41] Resources. Vast resources. First is our

[3:18:45] timber and our coal. We give up our

[3:18:47] lungs and our limbs and our lives. So

[3:18:49] some out of state baron could make

[3:18:50] millions on those. And then it was our

[3:18:52] natural gas, our mineral rights that

[3:18:54] were essentially stolen for pennies on

[3:18:55] the dollar. And now they're coming for

[3:18:57] our water. Literally the most valuable

[3:19:00] resource on planet Earth because to them

[3:19:03] we're expendable. We're less than. Our

[3:19:07] health and our livelihood don't matter.

[3:19:08] So we sure as don't have any right

[3:19:10] to those finite resources that the tech

[3:19:12] oligarchs believe they deserve.

[3:19:16] And it's no wonder that so many of our

[3:19:18] neighbors simply throw up their arms in

[3:19:20] defeat, right? Once you've been held

[3:19:21] hostage for generations, you see the

[3:19:24] writing on the wall. It's really hard

[3:19:26] not to be apathetic.

[3:19:29] And as my aunt Becky said, this is

[3:19:32] full-on taxation without representation.

[3:19:35] We are paying taxes in the form of our

[3:19:37] air, our water, our livelihood, um, and

[3:19:39] yet again, our health for something we

[3:19:41] did not have a say in. People who have

[3:19:43] never stepped foot in this room, who

[3:19:45] have no stake in Buffaloy or the farms

[3:19:47] down river or cross the river, decided

[3:19:50] that we should give up our night skies

[3:19:52] and our history, our physical and mental

[3:19:55] health, our rural way of life, all in

[3:19:57] the name of flock cameras, mass

[3:19:59] surveillance, imminent domain, and

[3:20:02] billionaires making more billions.

[3:20:05] But here's the thing, we are not dumb

[3:20:08] hillbillies.

[3:20:10] [laughter]

[3:20:16] Everyone here has proven that. And so of

[3:20:19] our friends and our neighbors in Mason

[3:20:21] County and in Tucker and Berkeley and

[3:20:23] Mingo who are speaking out against the

[3:20:25] same injustice. We're finally speaking

[3:20:27] our truth with a unified voice, a

[3:20:29] bipartisan unified voice. And we're

[3:20:33] ready to hold others, our leaders,

[3:20:35] accountable to that truth.

[3:20:38] And so we're asking you, our

[3:20:39] commissioners, to join the chorus. As

[3:20:41] Joseph and Jessica said, we believe that

[3:20:44] government works best when elected

[3:20:46] officials and the people they represent

[3:20:47] can work together, which requires common

[3:20:49] ground. So this resolution that we've

[3:20:52] presented tonight, we believe represents

[3:20:55] that common ground. If we can agree on

[3:20:57] the very basic premise that we as West

[3:20:59] Virginiaians as the people who already

[3:21:01] live in Buffalo or Plying deserve

[3:21:04] respect from our leaders and from

[3:21:06] billionaires.

[3:21:07] If we can agree that the people should

[3:21:09] have a say in the presence of hyperskll

[3:21:11] data centers in their community and that

[3:21:14] there's more to them than the financial

[3:21:15] implications, then we have a foundation

[3:21:18] from which we can move forward together.

[3:21:21] So you all have said that your power has

[3:21:22] been taken away by 2014. And I'm not

[3:21:25] denying the reality and the tragedy of

[3:21:28] that bill. But what you do still have is

[3:21:31] the power of your voice. Voices matter.

[3:21:34] Our voices matter. Yours matter more.

[3:21:38] They just do. So I'll end with an

[3:21:40] invitation for you all to share your

[3:21:42] position. Will you pass the people's

[3:21:44] resolution on the presence of hyperskll

[3:21:46] data centers in our community?

[3:21:50] Thank you.

[3:21:54] » [applause]

[3:22:08] » Hello, gentlemen. How are you this

[3:22:10] evening?

[3:22:10] >> How are you?

[3:22:11] >> I promise. I think we're done. I

[3:22:13] promise. I've got one easy thing I do

[3:22:15] want to say. I thank you guys for

[3:22:16] everything about the opioid sediment

[3:22:18] there. When will applications be open

[3:22:21] for that? Or do we have any idea?

[3:22:23] >> Post it on the website. We've got the

[3:22:25] application ready to go. It was approved

[3:22:26] tonight, so we'll probably post it

[3:22:27] tomorrow.

[3:22:28] >> Okay. Awesome. Awesome. I'll definitely

[3:22:29] let a couple different organizations

[3:22:30] know about that. Um, just one last thing

[3:22:33] to end on here. Today is the 105th

[3:22:36] anniversary of the Battle of Blair

[3:22:37] Mountain when the government chose to

[3:22:39] work for the company as opposed to the

[3:22:43] people that elected him there. And

[3:22:46] that's how that turned out. If anybody

[3:22:47] knows the story about that, there were

[3:22:50] machine guns. [applause]

[3:22:52] The government chose to use machine guns

[3:22:54] against West Virginia citizens instead

[3:22:55] of siding with people over company. So,

[3:22:59] just something to think about today.

[3:23:01] Thank you.

[3:23:03] [applause]

[3:23:06] If we don't end, I'm going to have to

[3:23:07] take a bathroom break. So,

[3:23:10] nothing else. I'll entertain a motion to

[3:23:12] adjourn. Our next scheduled meeting is

[3:23:15] on

[3:23:17] Tuesday, September 8th at 9:00 a.m. Make

[3:23:21] a motion to adjourn to our next

[3:23:23] scheduled meeting.

[3:23:24] >> Second.

[3:23:24] >> Got a motion. Second. All in favor say

[3:23:25] I. I.

Commission Meeting 8/25/26

Transcript